We are living in a time that often feels overwhelming, with everything, everywhere, all at once. Open any social media app, and within minutes, you might see a friend’s beach vacation, distressing global news, celebrities at the Met Gala, someone getting accepted into medical school, and someone being laid off from their dream job. The human brain was never designed to process such rapid, mixed signals all at once.
Social media overload is more than just a feeling. These platforms are designed to keep users engaged and contribute to severe negative consequences by activating specific neurocognitive mechanisms. During active engagement with social media platforms (e.g., scrolling, commenting, liking), one study found increased beta wave activity that remained elevated even after participants stopped using the platform.1 These findings suggest that social media use may trigger sustained cognitive processing even after the activity has ended.1 While moderate beta activity supports attention and focus, excessive activity has been linked to mental fatigue, overthinking, stress, and anxiety.2
Another way social media keeps us engaged is by relying on variable reward systems, where rewards are delivered unpredictably.3 Examples include slot machines and gambling, and more recently, social media notifications.3 For instance, not knowing whether a new post will receive 10 or 1000 likes activates the brain’s dopamine pathways, particularly in the ventral striatum, a dopamine-rich region involved in reward processing.4 This unpredictability reinforces repeated checking and continued platform use.5
As of 2025, internet users worldwide spend an average of 141 minutes per day on social media, which represents a substantial increase from 90 minutes per day in 2012.6 The problem isn’t just the volume of content, but also the contrast. One study found that alternating between different types of content, such as entertaining posts followed by more serious material, causes dopamine spikes and increases gamma activity. This pattern is associated with intense focus, rapid learning, and heightened reward-seeking behavior, making social media engagement feel more intense and rewarding.7
Social media was created to meet very real human needs—connection, communication, freedom of expression and access to information. For example, research suggests that online mental health services and digital interventions may be effective in reducing depressive symptoms in young people, while also supporting access to mental health resources.8,9 Social media allows us to stay in touch across distances, build communities and share ideas in ways that were once unimaginable.
The challenge then, is not to reject it entirely, but to use it more consciously and develop healthier coping strategies:
1. Silence notifications
Notifications are designed to capture attention and prompt immediate engagement. If your smartwatch or phone is constantly buzzing, consider silencing non-essential notifications or leaving your smartwatch at home on certain days. Reducing these interruptions can help break the habit of constantly checking your device.
2. Participate in offline experiences
Reconnecting with offline activities such as conversations, hobbies, and exercise can restore balance. Consider taking a walk, joining a university club, enrolling in a pottery class, or spending time cooking or crocheting. These kinds of hands-on activities can keep both your mind and your hands engaged, making it less likely that you will reach for your phone.
3. Disconnect during activities
When exercising, attending a class, or spending time with others, resist the urge to check apps. Practicing full presence during these activities can strengthen mindfulness and bring your attention to the physical world and reduce distractions.
4. Curate your digital environment
Be intentional about the content you consume. Unfollow or mute accounts that trigger stress, comparison, or negativity and prioritize content that educates, inspires or genuinely adds value to your life.
5. Replace scrolling with reading
Instead of reaching for social media first thing in the morning or before bed, try reading a book, magazine article or blog posts. Avoiding social media during the first hour after waking and the last hour before sleep can significantly reduce mental overload.
Moving Forward
The digital age is not something we can opt out of, but it is something we can navigate more intentionally. When used mindfully, social media can inform, connect and inspire us. Ultimately, we get to decide whether it enhances our lives or leaves us feeling overwhelmed. Its impact depends entirely on how we choose to consume it.
Edited by: Kealyn McDowell
References
- Satani, A., Satani, K. K., Barodia, P., & Joshi, H. (2025). Modern day high: The neurocognitive impact of social media usage. Cureus, 17(7), e87496. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.87496
- Abhang, P. A., Gawali, B. W., & Mehrotra, S. C. (2016). Technical aspects of brain rhythms and speech parameters. In Introduction to EEG- and speech-based emotion recognition (pp. 51–79). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804490-2.00003-6
- Miliano, C., Margiani, G., Fattore, L., & De Luca, M. A. (2018). Sales and advertising channels of new psychoactive substances (NPS): Internet, social networks, and smartphone apps. Brain Sciences, 8(7), Article 123. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci8070123
- Haber SN. Neuroanatomy of Reward: A View from the Ventral Striatum. In: Gottfried JA, editor. Neurobiology of Sensation and Reward. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 11. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92777/
- Turel, O., He, Q., Brevers, D., & Bechara, A. (2018). Delay discounting mediates the association between posterior insular cortex volume and social media addiction symptoms. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 18(4), 694–704. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-018-0597-1
- Statista. (2025). Daily time spent on social networking by internet users worldwide from 2012 to 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/
- Lyons, A. C., Goodwin, I., Carah, N., Young, J., Barnes, A., & McCreanor, T. (2023). Limbic platform capitalism: Understanding the contemporary marketing of health-demoting products on social media. Addiction Research & Theory, 31(3), 178–183. https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2022.2138550
- Kauer, S. D., Mangan, C., & Sanci, L. (2014). Do online mental health services improve help-seeking for young people? A systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(3), e66. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3103
- Rice, S. M., Goodall, J., Hetrick, S. E., Parker, A. G., Gilbertson, T., Amminger, G. P., Davey, C. G., McGorry, P. D., Gleeson, J., & Alvarez-Jimenez, M. (2014). Online and social networking interventions for the treatment of depression in young people: A systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(9), e206. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3304