Is social media having a negative impact on my life? Am I spending more time in my “virtual life” than I am my real life? These are all valid questions to ask yourself if you feel that the time you are spending wrapped up in social media is starting to have a negative impact on your life. Social media addiction is real and it is affecting people all over the world and is having a huge effect on people’s social skills. Let’s start by using millennials as an example. Now we are not going to trash this specific generation here but I do want to bring a few things to your attention. Have you noticed that certain millennials have problems expressing themselves or interacting on a normal level? They operate perfectly through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even by text, yet they can’t pick up a ringing telephone or answer a common knock at the front door. This is because they have been brought up communicating and interacting through social media instead of in a real-life setting. Another sign that social media is having a negative impact is isolation.

How many of you reading this blog have a teen, pre-teen or a young adult in the home who is, right at this very moment, behind a closed door playing an online video game or interacting on Facebook? I bet the number of you would be eye-opening! How about the person who can’t have a meal without a “food selfie”? Or the person who cant participate in a normal everyday function without documenting this on social media? There is a huge difference between using social media to sell a product or promote an event and dictating your every move through Facebook. There is such a fine line here with social media. It can be such a helpful tool when used in a healthy way but it can be a destructive tool when abused. So are you a social media addict? If you are asking yourself this question then there is a good chance that you are abusing social media in one way or another.

Dr. Cali Estes and The Addictions Coach has developed the addictions industry’s best one on one coaching for social media and internet addiction. Please head over to http://www.theaddictionscoach.com to get information on hiring a social media and internet addictions coach. Our phone lines are open 24/7 at 1-800-706-0318 and as always, please take a moment to click on our testimonial page to hear from the hundreds of those who have used The Addictions Coach to put their lives back on track!