We have always heard about the benefits of temporarily stopping the use of social media platforms, but a recent study has particularly highlighted its importance for human mental health.
In a new study published in the “JAMA Network Open” journal, 295 participants reported promising improvements in their mental health after reducing their use of social media for only one week.
The study focused on young people between the ages of 18 and 24, the age group known to be the most frequent users of social media and the most susceptible to mental health problems.
Staying away from social media
Despite the many personal testimonials circulating online confirming that reducing social media use has been beneficial in various aspects, the scientific relationship between using these media and the mental health of young people is still debatable, as previous studies have reached conflicting results.
The study results showed that spending a week detoxing from social media led to:
- A 16.1% decrease in anxiety.
- Depression by 24.8%.
- Insomnia by 14.5% among participants.
While 6.2% of participants did not use social media at all during the detoxification period, average use decreased from 1.9 hours per day to 0.5 hours during the same period.
The researchers explained that “addictive” use of social media and “negative social comparison” are closely related to the deterioration of mental health.
It is worth noting that the study did not notice any noticeable change in the feeling of loneliness reported by the participants during the detoxification period. The researchers attribute this to the fact that social media often plays a role in “social communication and community.”
The study authors say: “These results suggest that reducing the use of social media for one week may improve mental health outcomes in young people, however, the persistence of these therapeutic results and their associations with behavior require further investigation.”
