It had started much before the COVID-19 pandemic, escalated during the lockdown, and is still rampant. Irrespective of age group, it is time to accept that the silent social media addiction pandemic has already started showing its harmful effects on and around us.

Over the past two decades, social media has revolutionized how we connect, communicate, and consume information. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp have become integral to our daily lives, providing instant gratification and an endless stream of content. The long-lost friend can now be found through a single search on any one of the platforms. In short, social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, connecting us with friends, family, and even strangers worldwide and going the extra mile to create our persona in front of them.

Unfortunately, after the initial fascination, social media is turning out to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it brings people closer, allowing them to share their lives, experiences, and opinions. But, social media is addictive and has detrimental consequences for our mental and physical well-being. The desire for likes, comments, and followers leads to a relentless pursuit of validation, fostering feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression. This growing dependency on social media is becoming a new, uncontrolled menace that has silently crept into our society.

The compulsive behavior toward the use of social media is a grave concern that demands our immediate attention. Studies on the issue point out that, like all sorts of addiction, scrolling through the endless feed of posts and eagerly waiting for likes, shares, and comments on our own is often an addictive experience triggered by the release of dopamine, the brain's pleasure chemical. This cycle creates dependence, leading users to crave more time online, often neglecting real-life interactions and responsibilities.

We need to acknowledge that the impact of social media addiction can be far-reaching as it touches every aspect of our lives. Excessive screen time and sedentary behavior result in sleep disturbances, eye strain, and back or hip pain. The lack of real-world social interactions leads to feelings of isolation and a decline in overall health. Mentally, the constant comparison with idealized lives, sometimes even falsely portrayed on social media, erodes self-esteem and breeds dissatisfaction with one's life. This erosion of self-esteem often leads some people, especially children, to hurt themselves.

The worst part of this silent pandemic is that it is not confined to a particular age group: children often follow the examples of addicted parents or peers and slide down the slippery slope.

This trend disturbs me a lot. I am sure that many others like me also worry. Like me, maybe they are also left wondering what needs to be done. After all, we cannot ignore social media, but we must find a way of getting the best out of it without letting it control our lives.