diff --git a/include/linux/memcontrol.h b/include/linux/memcontrol.h
index e03976302956..099521835cd1 100644
--- a/include/linux/memcontrol.h
+++ b/include/linux/memcontrol.h
@@ -283,6 +283,11 @@ struct mem_cgroup {
 	atomic_long_t		memory_events[MEMCG_NR_MEMORY_EVENTS];
 	atomic_long_t		memory_events_local[MEMCG_NR_MEMORY_EVENTS];
 
+	/*
+	 * Hint of reclaim pressure for socket memroy management. Note
+	 * that this indicator should NOT be used in legacy cgroup mode
+	 * where socket memory is accounted/charged separately.
+	 */
 	unsigned long		socket_pressure;
 
 	/* Legacy tcp memory accounting */
@@ -1704,8 +1709,8 @@ void mem_cgroup_sk_alloc(struct sock *sk);
 void mem_cgroup_sk_free(struct sock *sk);
 static inline bool mem_cgroup_under_socket_pressure(struct mem_cgroup *memcg)
 {
-	if (!cgroup_subsys_on_dfl(memory_cgrp_subsys) && memcg->tcpmem_pressure)
-		return true;
+	if (!cgroup_subsys_on_dfl(memory_cgrp_subsys))
+		return !!memcg->tcpmem_pressure;
 	do {
 		if (time_before(jiffies, READ_ONCE(memcg->socket_pressure)))
 			return true;
diff --git a/mm/vmpressure.c b/mm/vmpressure.c
index b52644771cc4..22c6689d9302 100644
--- a/mm/vmpressure.c
+++ b/mm/vmpressure.c
@@ -244,6 +244,14 @@ void vmpressure(gfp_t gfp, struct mem_cgroup *memcg, bool tree,
 	if (mem_cgroup_disabled())
 		return;
 
+	/*
+	 * The in-kernel users only care about the reclaim efficiency
+	 * for this @memcg rather than the whole subtree, and there
+	 * isn't and won't be any in-kernel user in a legacy cgroup.
+	 */
+	if (!cgroup_subsys_on_dfl(memory_cgrp_subsys) && !tree)
+		return;
+
 	vmpr = memcg_to_vmpressure(memcg);
 
 	/*