So you have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and possibly a few other accounts. Not a big deal, right? Wrong. What started out as innocent and fun, is becoming a real problem. A lot of us are addicted to social media and we don’t even know it. This is what these companies want and it is their goal to get you addicted to what seems healthy and innocent. Yet social media addiction can be as damaging to one’s mental health and relationships as any other addiction that is perceived as bad, such as alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, food and others.

Don’t feel bad though.

Social media companies get you the same way alcohol, tobacco companies, drug companies, porn sites, and casinos get you. The problems caused can be just as great as or worse than any other addiction. The scariest part is the lack of awareness, as we’ve been trained to think this is all okay. With other addictions, we know it’s wrong, know the dangers, yet still somehow get sucked into it.

This is different.

On the following pages, we’ll go through 30 signs of social media addiction. Keep track of whether you have any of these signs. Here’s your score chart:

• 1-9 Yes Answers: You are not addicted
• 10-18 Yes Answers: You should take a break, schedule 30 minutes a day to check your notifications, view posts, post, stalk or do whatever you do. DO NOT do anything outside of your allotted 30 minutes. If this is difficult or impossible, you may need to either quit altogether, or seek help.
• 18-26 Yes Answers: Quit altogether or seek help. This is not healthy.

Ready? Enjoy and prepare to look in the mirror and realize you may have a problem.