Most people use social media every day, and daily use alone is not a problem. The 10 questions below are adapted from the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), the scale that most research on the topic uses. They ask what your use does to your day, not how many minutes it takes. Honest answers, no sign-up.
How common is problematic social media use? It depends on where researchers draw the line. A meta-analysis of 63 samples with 34,798 people from 32 countries found 5% under the strictest definition, 13% with a cutoff for severe problems, and 25% with a cutoff for moderate problems.
The self-test below adapts the six themes of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), published by Andreassen and colleagues: thinking about social media a lot, needing more of it, using it to change your mood, failing to cut down, feeling restless without it, and letting it harm work, studies or relationships.
Read each statement and answer for a typical week: is it true for you most of the time? No sign-up, no dramatic verdict.
The statements cover the six themes of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), one of the most widely used scales in research on problematic social media use.
A score changes nothing on its own. Unwire helps you find the moments when you reach for social media without deciding to, and build small, deliberate changes around them.
For each statement, answer honestly for a typical week, not your best or your worst one. If the statement is true more often than not, answer yes.
0/10 answered
0/10
Educational self-assessment adapted from the six themes of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS; Andreassen et al., 2016). Not the BSMAS scoring and not a medical diagnosis.
A score shows where you stand, not why. Unwire helps you find what drives your pattern and change it step by step. Start free on iOS Start free on Android
The original Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale has six statements, each rated from "very rarely" to "very often", and researchers add up the ratings. Different studies use different cutoffs, which is one reason why published rates range from 5% to 25%. These ten yes/no statements cover the same six themes but do not use the original scoring, so your number is a rough guide and cannot be compared one-to-one with research results. As a rule of thumb, five or more yeses suggest that your social media use has become a habit that works against you.
A score changes nothing on its own. The useful next step is to notice when you open social media without deciding to, for example in moments of boredom, waiting or tiredness, and to change the setup around those moments. Our teen social media statistics show how much young people use it, and our article on social media and loneliness looks at what heavy use does and does not do.
No. Social media addiction is not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5 or the ICD-11. Researchers describe a pattern of problematic use and measure it with questionnaires such as the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale.
It depends on the definition. A 2021 meta-analysis of 63 samples with 34,798 people from 32 countries found 5% with the strictest definition, 13% with a cutoff for severe problems and 25% with a cutoff for moderate problems. Rates were about twice as high in collectivist countries (31%) as in individualist countries (14%).
No. It is a yes/no self-test in our own words that covers the six themes of the BSMAS (Andreassen et al., 2016). It gives you a rough picture, not the BSMAS score or a clinical assessment.
No. The amount of time alone does not define a problem. The scale asks about control and consequences: whether you can cut down, whether you feel restless without it, and whether it harms your sleep, work, studies or relationships.
Change the setup instead of relying on willpower: turn off notifications, move the apps off your home screen or log out after each use, choose fixed times for checking, and keep your phone out of the bedroom. Then notice which moments still pull you back, because those moments show what the habit does for you.
No. Your answers are scored in your browser and are not sent anywhere. Only if you choose to share your result does the link contain your score.
Free to download. No credit card required. Available on iOS and Android.
Free to download • No credit card required • iOS & Android • Age 13+