Is social media addiction a real threat?

Our dependence on mobile phones and other gadgets—especially due to social media—has exceeded the (what some might call) healthy threshold. It is not uncommon to see people of all ages staring at their phones all day while scrolling through their newsfeeds—with the young generation being the most vulnerable to addiction to social media.

A proper medical term for this has not yet been coined but the behaviour associated with its excessive usage and indulgence has generated much debate and research. Social media networking sites have been blamed for behavioural issues like anxiety, depression and attention deficiency. Bangladesh is no exception. As per the Q2 Global Digital Statshot report of 2017, Dhaka stood second in terms of having the most number of active Facebook users.

As long as social media is being used smartly, there is no real threat. But we should be aware of the myriad problems associated with overuse of social media.

Hasan Tasnim Shaon, Dhaka University