Have you ever known someone who is addicted to substances? Or read an article about the consequences of addiction? Well, social media can be just as addicting.

Social media and substance abuse have similar neurological responses. Although they differ in safety and physiological effects, both can cause a major disruption in a person’s life. Drugs create a chemical imbalance, while social media tends to create more of a psychological reliance.

Both are driven by dopamine, which acts as a reward system in the brain. Like addicts, social media users feel the need to watch more reels, like more posts, and add new stories to their pages to experience that same satisfaction repeatedly, like how substance users may need more of a drug to feel high again.

Users can also showcase withdrawal symptoms, though not physical in the same way. Stopping social media usage may cause psychological distress, anxiety, as well as feelings of isolation.

However, head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, testified that he does not think users can be “clinically addicted” to an app. His statement followed a lawsuit by 20-year-old Kaley, who said she began using social media at a young age and claimed companies purposely used addictive features to market towards young users, which she claimed harmed her mental health.