Do you feel like you are always denying how much time you spend on social media? It seems like everyone says “you couldn’t survive one day without checking your phone,” and our immediate response is usually something along the lines of, “I don’t even use it that much,” or “I only get on my phone when I have nothing else to do.”
But, the truth is, a lot of us are habitually addicted to opening that app and scrolling the feed. Think about this: if you open your phone with no set goal, does your thumb automatically click on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.
If you don’t know how much time of your day goes to social media instead of socializing with the people around you, we have put together a test to see just how often you check those apps. Answer the following questions and see what your score is!
Choose the option that best describes your experience:
1.) How often do you go on social media?
- A. Rarely
- B. A few times a week
- C. 1-2 times/day
- D. 3-5 times a day
- E. 5-10 times a day
- F. Over 10 times a day
2.) How many social media platforms are you on?(Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, TikTok, Youtube, etc.)
- A. None
- B. One
- C. Two
- D. Three-Four
- E. Five
- F. Six+
3.) Do “likes” matter to you?
- A. I post whatever I want and don’t worry about others’ reactions.
- B. I think about how others will respond when I select my content or captions.
- C. I get anxious about what to post or what to say on my posts.
- D. I check my previous posts to see which ones got a lot of likes.
- E. I check on my number of likes repeatedly after I make a post.
- F. I delete a post if it isn’t getting a lot of likes.
4.) What steps have you taken to help decrease your concern over likes?
- A. I have turned off my post notifications.
- B. I have turned off the displayed number of likes on my photos.
- C. I avoid checking on my photos once they are posted.
- D. I don’t look at other people’s posts and see if my post has more or equal likes.
- E. I don’t let myself delete a photo based on performance.
- F. I have taken zero of these steps.
5.) How much time do you spend in-person with your friends?
- A. Daily
- B. On weekends
- C. Twice a Week
- D. At least once a week
- E. At least twice a month
- F. At least once a month
6.) What keeps you from hanging out with your friends?
- A. You are busy with extracurriculars (School, Work, Sports, etc.)
- B. They are busy
- C. The distance
- D. Lack of interest
- E. You enjoy/prefer your screen time
- F. You would rather communicate with them online.
Score Range (Low to High):
- Not Phased – selected option A-C on more than 5 of the questions
- Good – selected option A-C on more than 4 of the questions
- Moderate – selected option A-C on at least 3 of the questions
- Slightly Hooked – selected option D-F on at least 3 of the questions
- Definitely Hooked – selected D-F on more than 5 questions
We have broken down the facts into some stats, so you can see the impact a simple app can have on our moods and how much time it can take up in our day. A report by Common Sense Media found that:
- 75% of American teenagers have social media profiles. Social media is a daily part of life for the vast majority of teens.
- 1 in 4 is a heavy social media user, using at least two different types of social media each day.
- 51% of teens visit social networking sites on a daily basis.
- More than 1/3 of teens visit their main social networking site several times a day.
