Therapists for Social Media Addiction in India

  1. Book a 1-on-1 sessions one of our empaneled Therapists for Social Media Addiction in India

  2. Sessions are online and offered at a specialised price as part of our collaboration with each therapist.

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    Sindhiya Vaithiyanathan

    Sindhiya Vaithiyanathan

    Counselling Psychologist

    Sindhiya Vaithiyanathan

    12 Years Exp. | Anxiety | Couple's Therapy | Addiction & Behavioural Health | Depression | Stress, Burnout & Overwhelm

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    Prakriti Pandia: Trauma, PTSD, Loss, Existential Concerns, Personality Disorders Counselling Psychologist (Therapist) in Delhi

    Prakriti Pandia

    Counselling Psychologist

    Prakriti Pandia

    7 years Exp. | Trauma & PTSD | Grief | Relationship Issues / Marriage | Addiction & Behavioural Health | Personality Disorder

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    Dr Shridhar Manakame S K

    Dr Shridhar Manakame S K

    Psychiatrist

    Dr Shridhar Manakame S K

    4 Years Exp. | Anxiety | OCD | Relationship Issues / Marriage | Addiction & Behavioural Health | Intimacy

Common Questions: Therapy for Social Media Addiction

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How can therapy help me overcome social media addiction?

Therapy can help when you feel like social media is taking up more of your day than you want it to. You may pick up your phone the moment you wake up, check it between tasks, or keep scrolling long after you had planned to stop. Sometimes you don't even realise how much time has passed.

A therapist can help you look at your actual day and see where social media fits into it. You might notice that you reach for your phone when work feels difficult, when you're bored at home, or when you don't feel like dealing with something.

You can also talk about what happens after you scroll. Maybe you feel relaxed for a few minutes and then guilty about losing an hour. Maybe you feel worse after looking at other people's lives, but still find yourself opening the same apps again later.

Therapy can also help with the things underneath the habit. If you are using social media to deal with loneliness, anxiety, or low mood, those feelings need attention, too.

Once you understand what's happening, you can start making changes. Your therapist might help you decide where you want your phone out of reach, which apps are taking up most of your time, or what you can do when you get the urge to check. You could keep your phone away while studying or working, stop scrolling in bed, or take a short walk when you need a break.

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Will a therapist help me understand why I'm compulsively using social media?

Therapy can help you figure out what is making you reach for your phone so many times a day. The habit can feel automatic. You may unlock your phone without thinking, open an app, and only realise later that you've been scrolling for a long time.

Your therapist may ask what was happening just before you picked up your phone. Maybe you were feeling bored, worried about something, or avoiding a task. You may also notice that certain times of the day make you more likely to scroll, such as when you're alone at night or taking a break from work.

You can then look at what you get from social media in those moments. You might be looking for something to distract you, hoping to feel connected, or checking messages because you want reassurance that someone has replied.

Once you know what is behind the urge, it becomes easier to work on it. You might find another way to take a break when you're stressed, talk to someone when you're lonely, or wait a few minutes before checking your phone when you feel the urge.

Therapy can also help when you have tried to cut down before and keep going back to the same amount of scrolling. You can look at what made it difficult, what was happening at the time, and what you could try differently.

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Can therapy address anxiety and depression caused by social media use?

Social media can affect your mood, especially when you spend a lot of time comparing your life with what you see online. You may look at someone's relationship, career, appearance, or lifestyle and start feeling like you're falling behind.

You may also notice that your mood changes after using social media. You could start scrolling because you're feeling low and then end up feeling worse. Seeing other people's updates can leave you thinking, “Why don't I have a life like that?” or “Everyone seems happier than I am.”

In therapy, you can talk about these thoughts without being told to simply stop using social media. Your therapist can help you look at how you interpret what you see online and what happens to your mood afterwards.

You may also work on changing how you use social media. This could mean unfollowing accounts that leave you feeling bad about yourself, taking a break when you notice your mood dropping, or spending more time doing things that make you feel connected offline.

If you are experiencing anxiety or depression, your therapist can work on those concerns, too. Social media may be making things worse, but there can be other reasons behind how you're feeling. Therapy can help you look at the bigger picture.

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How does therapy help with setting healthy boundaries around screen time?

Sometimes the problem isn't that you decided to scroll. You just picked up your phone for one tiny thing, and somehow you're watching a stranger organise their fridge 45 minutes later.

Therapy can help you notice these little things. You may realise that you check your phone whenever you're bored, reach for it during awkward silences, or open Instagram without even knowing why.

You can then make some simple rules that suit your life. Maybe your phone stays away during meals. Maybe you don't take it into bed. Maybe you keep social media off your home screen so your thumb has to work a little harder to find it.

It can feel strange at first. You may catch yourself reaching for a phone that isn't even there. That's useful information too.

The difficult part can be sticking to the boundary. You may feel the urge to check what you missed or tell yourself you'll only look for a minute. Your therapist can help you understand that urge and find something else to do with those minutes.

The boundaries will not look the same for everyone. Someone may need to limit social media during family time, while another person may need to stop using it when they are working or studying. The therapist can help you work out what is actually causing trouble in your day and start there.

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Can a therapist help me rebuild real-life connections and reduce online dependence?

Sometimes you don't realise how much of your social life has moved online until you look up and realise you've been talking to 50 people on the internet but haven't actually met a friend for coffee in three weeks.

In therapy, you can look at what has changed. Maybe you spend evenings scrolling instead of talking to your family, or you keep chatting online but rarely meet friends in person.

You can then start bringing some of those things back. That might mean having dinner without your phone, meeting a friend after work, or picking up something you used to enjoy before your phone became the default source of entertainment.

You can also talk about why online connection feels easier. Maybe you don't have to deal with awkward silences, make plans, or worry about what someone thinks of you. Understanding that can make it easier to build real-life connections without expecting them to feel as effortless as scrolling.

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Other common questions

Will therapy address FOMO (fear of missing out) and comparison issues from social media?

Social media can make it feel like everyone else is doing something you are missing. You may see friends going out, people travelling, or someone sharing a new job and start wondering why your life doesn't look like theirs.

In therapy, you can look at what happens when these comparisons start popping in your mind. You might check someone's profile repeatedly, feel bad about yourself, or keep scrolling because you don't want to miss an update.

Your therapist can help you question these thoughts. For example, seeing that someone is travelling doesn't tell you that they are happier than you. A single post also doesn't show everything happening in that person's life.

You can also work on what you want your own life to look like. This may mean spending less time checking what other people are doing and more time doing things that matter to you, such as meeting friends, working on your interests, or making plans you actually enjoy.

How can therapy help me regain focus and productivity lost to social media?

If you keep checking your phone while working or studying, it can be hard to stay with one task for very long. You may open social media for a quick break and end up spending much longer than you planned.

Therapy can help you notice when this happens and what makes you reach for your phone. You might check it when a task feels boring, when you don't know how to start something, or when you're feeling stressed about getting it done.

You can then try different ways of making your phone less distracting. You might leave it in another room while studying, keep it in your bag during a meeting, or turn off notifications while you're working. If you keep opening an app without thinking, you might move it off your home screen or log out after using it.

The urge to check your phone can still show up. You might suddenly want to see if someone has replied, check what you've missed, or watch one quick video. Therapy can help you practise noticing that urge without immediately acting on it.

You can also make breaks work better for you. Instead of opening Instagram every time you finish a task, you might get some water, stretch, step outside, or talk to someone for a few minutes.

These small changes can make it easier to get through things that need your attention, such as studying for an exam, finishing a work report, cooking dinner, or having a conversation without checking your phone halfway through.

Is online therapy ironic or effective for treating social media addiction?

It might seem strange to use a screen to talk about spending too much time on screens, but online therapy and social media use are quite different.

During a therapy session, you are there for a specific conversation with a therapist. You are not scrolling through posts, checking notifications, or switching between different apps. The therapist can help you look at how you use social media and what happens when you try to cut back.

For example, you might talk about checking your phone during work, staying up late watching reels, or feeling the need to reply to every message immediately. You can then work out what changes would be useful and try them during the week.

The important part is having a therapist who understands the problem you're dealing with and can work with you on it.

Will therapy help me find healthier coping mechanisms instead of scrolling?

If you reach for social media every time you feel stressed, lonely, or upset, it can be hard to know what else to do in those moments.

Therapy helps you notice what you are trying to get from scrolling. You may be looking for a distraction after a difficult day, something to do when you're bored, or a way to avoid thinking about something that is bothering you.

Once you understand that, you can try other things that give you a similar break. You might go for a short walk when you're stressed, call a friend when you're feeling lonely, or listen to music when you need some time to yourself.

It can take some trial and error. Something that works for one person may not work for another. You and your therapist can figure out what fits your routine and what you are actually likely to do when the urge to scroll comes up.

How long does therapy take to break social media addiction patterns?

It depends on how much time you spend on social media, how long you've been using it this way, and what keeps the habit going.

Some people notice changes within a few weeks. You might find yourself checking your phone less during work, sleeping without scrolling for hours, or putting your phone down more easily when you notice you've been using it for too long.

It can take longer when social media is also helping you deal with anxiety, loneliness, low mood, or stress. In those cases, therapy may involve working on these difficulties as well as the phone use.

Progress can also be uneven. You may have a week where you spend much less time online and then fall back into old habits during a stressful period. You can bring this into therapy and work out what happened and what might help next time.

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