Feeling drained from social media? Yeah, join the club. According to a study of 1,011 Brits aged 18 to 44, it turns out scrolling through endless feeds is sucking the life out of a lot of us.
In fact, 73% say they’re often low on energy, with nearly 1 in 5 admitting they feel wiped out all the time.
No surprises here—social media is right at the top of the list of energy vampires. About two-thirds (67%) of adults claim the constant pressure from social apps like Instagram and TikTok is draining.
And get this: three-quarters (74%) say social media makes them feel worse about themselves, with 68% admitting it leaves them feeling like they can never quite keep up. It’s like a treadmill you can’t step off, isn’t it?
Dr Emma Derbyshire has a pretty straightforward solution: spend less time on social media. Sounds easy, right? Well, not when 40% of people say they feel a buzz of happiness when they get those likes and positive comments.
But the other side of that coin is harsh—nearly a third (30%) admit they feel pretty rubbish when the likes don’t come rolling in. We’ve all been there, refreshing the page, waiting for that dopamine hit.
And here’s the kicker: social media isn’t just messing with your mood; it’s messing with your relationships too.
More than a third (35%) of people have had a row with their partner over how much time they spend glued to their phone, and for 1 in 10 couples, it’s led to a breakup. Let that sink in—breaking up over Instagram.
Plus, about a third of us (31%) can’t resist checking our phones first thing in the morning. No wonder we feel like zombies before we’ve even had coffee!
If that wasn’t enough, nearly half of us (44%) wish we spent less time online, and 16% are actually considering ditching social media altogether.
But here’s where it really hurts: 34% of us are scrolling through our feeds right before bed, and let’s be honest, we all know that’s a one-way ticket to a terrible night’s sleep.
So, what do most of us do when we hit that mid-afternoon energy slump? Instead of doing something smart like eating a decent meal, 61% of people go straight for caffeinated drinks, and more than half (55%) grab some chocolate.
Sure, it’s an easy win, but it’s just packing in more empty calories. Meanwhile, only 52% of us actually cook something healthy when we need a boost. It’s like we know what’s good for us but opt for the quick fix every time.
The truth is, social media is draining our energy in more ways than one, but we don’t have to let it. Cutting back on screen time, getting some proper sleep, and making smarter food choices can make a world of difference.
You’ll feel more human and a little less like a social media zombie. So maybe put down the phone, step away from the scrolling, and see what happens when you recharge the old-fashioned way.