In recent years, numerous studies have investigated the link between social networks and mental health, almost always reaching the same conclusions – reducing the time we spend between Instagram and TikTok can only be good. Now new research published on JAMA Network Open reached the same conclusions, detecting a reduction in symptoms related to insomnia, anxiety and depression in young people who had reduced the time spent on social media for a week.
Social detox. The study involved 295 volunteers between 18 and 24 years old. To avoid the results being tainted by bias, as was the case in previous research based on self-reported data from the participants, the authors decided to use a method called digital phenotyping (literally “digital phenotyping”): the participants passively tracked the time they used the apps via their smartphones and reported the results to the researchers. After two weeks of data collection, the kids reduced the time spent on social media for a week: 6.2% did a total detox, not accessing any social apps, while on average use went from almost two hours to half an hour a day.
Mental health benefits. During the three weeks of the study, participants monitored their mental health through short daily measurements in real time. The week of social detox led to an average reduction in anxiety symptoms by 16.1%, depression by 24.8% and insomnia by 14.5%. The kids who were most dependent on social networking apps benefited most, as they improved their mental health even more after the detox week. According to the authors, the benefits would be due not so much to the reduction in the number of hours spent in front of the screen, but to the reduction of negative inputs deriving from social media – such as social comparison with other people (who appear richer, more beautiful, more intelligent) and compulsive use.
The limits. Although the study has some limitations, such as the fact that the participants were recruited on a voluntary basis (and therefore were probably aware of the expected results) and that they were not followed long-term or a control group was not included, the results confirm the damage associated with the abuse of social media.
