The Facebook Free Blog

* information courtesy of Judith Comfort – Dr. Charles  Best Library

COMPULSION TO CONNECT? FACEBOOK ADDICTION DISORDER?

If you are worried that you, or a friend might be addicted to Facebook, answer this questionnaire, HONESTLY. If you score above 80 – acknowledge that you have a problem and immediately seek help from a parent, family doctor, teacher or counsellor.

“The Facebook Addiction Test (FAT) is the first validated and reliable measure of addictive use of the Facebook.”

Answer the following questions using this scale:

1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally.
3 = Frequently.
4 = Often.
5 = Always.
0 = Does Not Apply

1. How often do you find that you stay on Facebook longer than you intended?
2. How often do you neglect household chores to spend more time on Facebook?
3. How often do you prefer the excitement of the Facebook to face-to-face friends?
4. How often do you form new relationships with fellow Facebook users?
5. How often do others in your life complain to you about the amount of time you spend Facebook?
6. How often do your grades or school work suffer because of the amount of time you spend on Facebook?
7. How often do you check your e-mail before something else that you need to do?
8. How often does your job performance or productivity suffer because of Facebook?
9. How often do you become defensive or secretive when anyone asks you what you do on Facebook?
10. How often do you block out disturbing thoughts about your life with soothing thoughts of the Facebook
11. How often do you find yourself anticipating when you will go on Facebook again?
12. How often do you fear that life without Facebook would be boring, empty, and joyless?
13. How often do you snap, yell, or act annoyed if someone bothers you while you are Facebook?
14. How often do you lose sleep due to late-night log-ins
15. How often do you feel preoccupied with the Facebook when off-line, or fantasize about being on Facebook?
16. How often do you find yourself saying “just a few more minutes” when on Facebook
17. How often do you try to cut down the amount of time you spend Facebook and fail?
18. How often do you try to hide how long you’ve been on Facebook
19. How often do you choose to spend more time Facebook over going out with others?
20. How often do you feel depressed, moody, or nervous when you are off-line, which goes away once you are back on Facebook?

Results: add up your score

After you’ve answered all the questions, add the numbers you selected for each response to obtain a final score. The higher your score, the greater the problem your Facebook usage causes. Here’s a general scale to help measure your score:

20 – 49 points: You are an average Facebook user. You may surf Facebook a bit too long at times, but you have control over your usage.

50 -79 points: You are experiencing occasional or frequent problems because   of Facebook. You should consider their full impact on your life.

80 – 100 points: Your Facebook usage is causing significant problems in your   life. You should evaluate the impact of Facebook on your life and address the problems directly caused by your Facebook usage.

Download the questions here to print or re-produce.