International
Reducing social media use for a week can have a positive impact on mental health symptoms for young people, according to international researchers. The team recruited 373 people aged 18-24 to investigate the links between their social media use and their mental health through monitoring the time they spent on various platforms, and giving them questionnaires about their mental health and signs of problematic social media use. The researchers say there wasn't a clear link between time spent on social media and mental health, but participants who self-reported problematic social media use - such as negative social comparison - were more likely to have higher depression, anxiety and insomnia symptoms. Among those who did a 1-week social media detox, deliberately reducing their use, the researchers say mental health symptoms reduced, especially for those who originally had more severe symptoms.
From:
About The Study: In this cohort of young adults, reducing social media use for 1 week was associated with reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia; however, the durability of these therapeutic outcomes and their associations with behavior warrant further study, particularly in more diverse populations.
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