This study employs Identity Regulation Theory (IRT) to investigate how identity-related psychological tensions, such as identity incongruence and dissonance, influence the discontinuation intentions of social media users. Using a cross-sectional survey of 294 active users via Prolific Academic, structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships among these tensions, platform fatigue, and discontinuation. Results show neither tension directly affects discontinuation, but both influence it through platform fatigue. This offers a new perspective on the psychological costs of social media, with fatigue serving as a key mediator in transforming identity tension into discontinuation intent. The paper adds to IRT research and helps firms understand why users leave social media.