A study conducted in Greece found that 49.3% of Generation Z participants who use TikTok showed symptoms of addiction to the platform. The findings also point to links between problematic TikTok use, anxiety, depression and daytime sleepiness.
Researchers from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)(EKPA) examined 1,033 TikTok users aged 18 to 60. Their findings highlight differences between generations and raise questions about how social media habits may relate to young people’s well-being.
The study, titled “Associations Between Problematic TikTok Use, Anxiety, Depression and Sleep Quality: Sex and Generation Differences,” appeared in the journal Psychiatry International. The researchers used the TikTok Addiction Scale to assess problematic use.
Gen Z Participants Reported the Highest Levels
The study found that 49.3% of Generation Z participants showed symptoms of TikTok addiction. The figure fell to 20% among millennials and 6.5% among Generation X.
Generation Z participants also spent the most time on the platform. They reported an average of 2.3 hours of TikTok use per day, compared with 1.3 hours for millennials and 0.8 hours for Generation X.
Across the full sample, the average daily time spent on TikTok was 1.8 hours. Participants reported spending an average of 3.3 hours per day on social media overall.
The findings also showed a difference between women and men. Symptoms of TikTok addiction appeared in 34.4% of female participants and 29.9% of male participants.
Researchers Found Links to Anxiety, Depression and Sleepiness
The researchers identified associations between higher levels of problematic TikTok use and greater symptoms of anxiety, depression and sleepiness.
Among participants classified as addicted to TikTok, 57.6% reported symptoms of severe anxiety. The corresponding figure among those not classified as addicted was 23.8%.
Symptoms of depression appeared in 43% of the group classified as addicted, compared with 15.8% of the other participants. Daytime sleepiness was also more common in the first group, affecting 78.2%, compared with 43% among those not classified as addicted.
These findings show a relationship between problematic use and reported symptoms. However, they do not establish that TikTok use directly causes anxiety, depression or sleep problems.
What the Findings Tell Us — and What They Do Not
The study offers insight into patterns of TikTok use among the people who took part. Its results do not mean that half of all young Greeks are addicted to the platform. The 49.3% figure applies specifically to Generation Z participants in this study.
The research also examined adults aged 18 to 60 who used TikTok. It therefore does not provide a direct estimate for every young person in Greece, including those who do not use the platform.
The findings add to research into the relationship between social media habits and well-being. They also underline the importance of understanding how online routines relate to sleep, mood and daily life, without treating an association as proof of cause and effect.
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