Objective: Social distance is an important strategy to control the prevalence of COVID‐19, so it is important to understand the behavioral impact of social distance on individuals. This study investigates social distance as a cognitive assessment from the perspective of cognitive incompatibility on the intensity of use of social networking sites (SNS) during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Urmia. Methodology: This study was performed on 384 users of social networking sites in Urmia. The model was experimentally investigated using structural equation modeling with PLS software. Results: The results showed that cognitive evaluation of social distance has a positive and significant effect on the intensity of social network use. The mediating role of e-shopping tendency was also significant in this regard. Also, the results of the moderating role of gender and age on the relationship between cognitive assessment of social distance and the intensity of use of social networks were significant and there were differences in different groups. Practical implication: These findings are significant for organizations, companies and educational institutions in the public and private sectors. There is a need to identify a subset of people who need social support and are free from isolation and loneliness. People rely on social networks to control the social distance caused by the epidemic, and this shows the increase in the activity of social networks.