Clinic bosses say some addicts spend more than eight hours a day online without realising how much of their lives have been taken over
One in five addicts being treated in rehab are now hooked on social media as experts warn Britain is in the grip of a new “always-on” addiction crisis.
Clinics say patients are spending up to eight hours a day glued to their phones, scrolling through apps late into the night and fuelling a surge in insomnia, anxiety and dependency.
The UKAT Group, which treats more than 3,500 addicts a year, says new figures show one in five of its patients now suffers from a social media addiction – a dramatic rise from just one case a month in 2020.
Many patients do not even realise they are addicted until they seek help for other issues such as alcohol or drug misuse, only for clinicians to uncover a deeper dependence on their phones.
More than half of those later identified as suffering from social media addiction had originally been admitted with prescription drug problems linked to insomnia, with sleeplessness driven by late-night scrolling.
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The revelation from the major UK clinic comes after a landmark case in the US where a young woman won $6m (£4.5m) in damages after suing Meta and YouTube over her childhood addiction to social media.
The Government is currently consulting on a social media ban for under 16s. Campaigners have called for an Australia-style ban on children using social media, but there are questions about how effective the prohibition has been.
Experts say the “always-on” culture of social media is rewiring behaviour, with patients chasing constant stimulation and unable to switch off.
Clinic bosses say some addicts spend more than eight hours a day online without realising how much of their lives have been taken over.
The problem is now so widespread the clinic group is being contacted by around ten worried parents every week seeking help for children struggling to control their social media use.
Therapists say platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are fuelling a cycle of dependency driven by dopamine, the brain chemical linked to reward and pleasure.
Users become hooked on the buzz of likes, shares and comments, but quickly need more engagement to achieve the same effect, trapping them in a cycle of compulsive use.
Many of the clinic’s patients are young men and women who also feel huge pressure to make themselves look as attractive as possible in front of the camera for their posts.
This also then triggers a secondary addiction where they spend hours on make-up, clothes and hair care before they feel able to go on camera and make their posts.
Experts warn the addiction can damage sleep, relationships and mental health, with some patients losing jobs or becoming socially isolated as their screen time spirals.
Zaheen Ahmed, Head of Treatment at The UKAT Group said: “This is no longer just heavy use – it’s dependency.
“The 24/7 access and endless reward loops of social media mimic the patterns we see in both behavioural and substance addictions.
“What’s most concerning is how often it goes unnoticed, surfacing as anxiety, insomnia or even being dismissed as ‘work necessity’ rather than recognised as the root cause.”
