Alcohol, drugs and other addictions
Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS)
Asks how much social media occupies your thoughts, whether you use it to manage your feelings, whether you manage to cut down, and how it affects your life.
NPİSTANBUL Brain Hospital
Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS)
- 41 questions
- About 8 minutes
- For adults
These tests are for screening. A result is not a diagnosis: only a psychiatrist or psychologist can make one, after talking with you.
Your answers are scored on this device and never sent. Only your result is saved, with the email address you confirm.
Confirm your email address
Before the test we send a 6-digit code to your email address. Your result is saved with it, so that our team can help you if you wish. The email with the code contains no health information.
For each statement, choose how often it is true for you.
Choosing an answer takes you to the next question. You can go back at any time.
Your result
No addiction
Your answers do not point to social media addiction; you mostly use social media in a controlled way. Reviewing your use from time to time helps you keep this balance.
Low level of addiction
Your answers point to a low level of social media addiction: you may sometimes use it for longer than planned, or it may get in the way of other things. Noticing how long you spend on it and setting particular times for it can help you keep a balance.
Moderate level of addiction
Your answers point to a moderate level of social media addiction: social media often occupies your thoughts and may have started to affect your daily life. If you find it hard to cut down, you could consider getting support from a psychologist or psychiatrist.
High level of addiction
Your answers point to a high level of social media addiction: you may find it hard to control your use, and it may be affecting your work, studies, sleep or relationships. Talking to a psychologist or psychiatrist can help you get your use back under control.
Very high level of addiction
Your answers point to a very high level of social media addiction: social media may be affecting much of your life, and your attempts to cut down or stop may not be working. This result is not a diagnosis, but we recommend seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist soon.
Total score
out of 205
Preoccupation: no addiction
Social media does not occupy your thoughts much, and you can usually control how long you spend on it.
Preoccupation: low level
At times you think about social media or use it for longer than you planned.
Preoccupation: moderate level
Social media often occupies your thoughts, and you may lose track of time while using it.
Preoccupation: high level
You think about social media very often and usually spend much longer on it than you planned.
Preoccupation: very high level
Social media takes up much of your thinking, and controlling how long you spend on it is very hard for you.
Preoccupation
out of 60
Mood modification: no addiction
You rarely use social media to get away from problems or negative feelings.
Mood modification: low level
Sometimes you turn to social media when you feel lonely or low.
Mood modification: moderate level
You often use social media to forget your problems or to get away from negative feelings.
Mood modification: high level
Social media seems to have become your main way of coping when things are hard; building other ways of dealing with feelings could help.
Mood modification: very high level
You almost always take refuge in social media to cope with negative feelings; it could help to talk this over with a mental health professional.
Mood modification
out of 25
Relapse: no addiction
You have no real difficulty cutting down or controlling your social media use.
Relapse: low level
At times you try to cut down and find it hard to keep it up.
Relapse: moderate level
Your attempts to bring your use under control often come to nothing.
Relapse: high level
Your attempts to quit or cut down usually do not work; support from a professional could make it easier.
Relapse: very high level
Almost every attempt you make to cut down comes to nothing; we recommend talking to a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Relapse
out of 25
Conflict: no addiction
Your social media use does not cause noticeable problems in your work, studies, relationships or health.
Conflict: low level
Social media sometimes gets in the way of your tasks, your sleep or your relationships.
Conflict: moderate level
Your social media use often affects your productivity at work or school, your sleep and your relationships.
Conflict: high level
Your social media use is causing problems in many areas of your life; looking at these areas and getting support could help.
Conflict: very high level
Your social media use is seriously affecting your work, relationships, sleep and self-care; we recommend seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist.
Conflict
out of 95
Take your result as a rough guide, not a diagnosis. How you feel over time, and a conversation with a specialist, tell much more than a questionnaire.
Talk it through with a specialist
If your result worries you, or you would like to talk it through, our psychiatrists can review it with you, free and without obligation.
Tutgun-Ünal A (2015), doctoral thesis, Marmara University; Tutgun-Ünal A, Deniz L (2015). Development of the Social Media Addiction Scale. AJIT-e: Online Academic Journal of Information Technology, 6(21), 51–70.
This English version was translated by NPİSTANBUL from the Turkish form of the test; it has not been validated separately in English.
About this test
The Social Media Addiction Scale was developed by Aylin Tutgun Ünal in her 2015 doctoral thesis and looks at social media use in four areas: preoccupation, mood modification, relapse and conflict. It has 41 statements and takes about 8 minutes. The total and the four area scores show the level of addiction; the result is not a diagnosis.
- Screens for
- Gambling, gaming and internet addiction
- What happens next
- Psychotherapy
Score ranges of this test: Total score
| 41–73 | No addiction |
| 74–106 | Low level of addiction |
| 107–139 | Moderate level of addiction |
| 140–172 | High level of addiction |
| 173–205 | Very high level of addiction |
Score ranges of this test: Preoccupation
| 12–21 | Preoccupation: no addiction |
| 22–31 | Preoccupation: low level |
| 32–41 | Preoccupation: moderate level |
| 42–51 | Preoccupation: high level |
| 52–60 | Preoccupation: very high level |
Score ranges of this test: Mood modification
| 5–8 | Mood modification: no addiction |
| 9–12 | Mood modification: low level |
| 13–16 | Mood modification: moderate level |
| 17–20 | Mood modification: high level |
| 21–25 | Mood modification: very high level |
Score ranges of this test: Relapse
| 5–8 | Relapse: no addiction |
| 9–12 | Relapse: low level |
| 13–16 | Relapse: moderate level |
| 17–20 | Relapse: high level |
| 21–25 | Relapse: very high level |
Score ranges of this test: Conflict
| 19–33 | Conflict: no addiction |
| 34–48 | Conflict: low level |
| 49–63 | Conflict: moderate level |
| 64–78 | Conflict: high level |
| 79–95 | Conflict: very high level |
Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS (SMBÖ)) · Tutgun-Ünal A (2015), doctoral thesis, Marmara University; Tutgun-Ünal A, Deniz L (2015). Development of the Social Media Addiction Scale. AJIT-e: Online Academic Journal of Information Technology, 6(21), 51–70.
This English version was translated by NPİSTANBUL from the Turkish form of the test; it has not been validated separately in English.