In this episode, Dr. Delaney Ruston dives into the pressing issue of social media addiction through the story of one young person, Lars, and insights from the chief of addiction medicine at Stanford, Ana Lembke, MD, and longtime media researcher Douglas Gentile, PhD. Through Lar’s struggle with social media addiction, listeners gain an intimate look at the impact of social media on mental health and identity. The episode sheds light on the various ways compulsive social media use can impact a young person and delves into the science behind digital addiction. Ultimately, Dr. Ruston and her guests offer valuable tips on how to know when social media use is in the zone of a clinical addiction and, most importantly, how to help teens who are in that zone, or wobbling there, to break free. 

Featured Experts

Anna Lembke, MD

Douglas Gentile, Ph.D.

Additional Links

Anna Lembke’s book, Dopamine Nation

Lars May and Half The Story

Time code of the episode 00:00 Introduction to Social Media Addiction 00:37 The Lawsuits Against Social Media Giants 01:47 Interview with Experts on Social Media Addiction 02:15 The Power of Social Media and Its Impact 04:19 The Journey of a Social Media Influencer 09:43 The Struggle with Mental Illness and Technology 11:11 The Science Behind Social Media Addiction 13:40 Understanding Addiction on a Spectrum 19:27 The Impact of Overabundance on Mental Health 20:19 Recovering from Social Media Addiction 24:54 Helping Others Overcome Social Media Addiction 25:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts