Health experts warn heavy social media use may harm adults’ well‑being

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Social media can be difficult to avoid, even for adults, and health experts say heavy use may have effects on mental and emotional well-being.

“We’re not immune to looking at what other people are doing,” said Sarah Esparza, a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with Kaiser Permanente. “Seeing what activities are happening, watching how other people’s children are presenting.”

A 2025 survey from the Pew Research Center examined the most popular online platforms used by U.S. adults. The survey found 84% said they used YouTube, 71% reported Facebook as their top platform, 50% said they commonly used Instagram, and 37% said they were on TikTok.

Health experts say the fast-paced videos and posts common on social media can affect cognitive capacity in adults and may increase distractibility.

“Dopamine tells our brain we need this in order to feel that way,” Esparza said. “So now I therefore need to participate in this in order to feel that high or that even that joy or that happiness.”

While social media addiction is not officially recognized as a disorder, mental health professionals continue to discuss its potential impacts.

Coraline Robinson with Balance Treatment Center said harmful effects can still be present for both adults and children.

“If there is an excessive amount of phone use, social media use, the correlates with that tend to be increased anxiety,” Robinson said. “Increased sadness, increased reactivity, and decreased socialization.”

Robinson said social media addiction can also lead to escapism, which may affect how people cope with negative emotions.

Because of those risks, health experts say it is important to recognize when it may be time to reduce screen time.

“Making it so that there’s no notifications or limited notifications so that it’s a grayscale phone,” Robinson said. “Some smaller steps could be putting it on Do Not Disturb regularly throughout the day.”

Health experts said people who struggle to set boundaries or notice growing disconnection from loved ones should consider reaching out for help.

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