Researchers from Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences identify addiction-like behaviour after time away from social media. In many cases, just a seven-day break from social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp is sufficient to induce withdrawal symptoms like those caused by addictive substances. This is the conclusion of a study by Austrian scientists, which was published today in an international journal. The study identified classic withdrawal symptoms, including significantly increased urges, boredom, and an influence on whether the subjects were in a good or bad mood. Most surprisingly, 90 of the 152 participants were unable to do without social media for seven days without “relapsing”.