Take a break from social media for better mental health

Today, social networks are one of the pillars of society. But there are growing concerns about its heavy use and its effects on mental health. So, should we stop using them? British researchers from the University of Bath have shown that just one week without social media improves general levels of well-being and reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. The results of the study were published today in the American journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking

9 additional hours of free time per week!

The study was conducted on 154 people aged 18 to 72, who had daily use of social networks. These 154 people were divided into two groups for the study: an intervention group, where they were asked to stop using all social networks for a week, and a control group, where they could continue to use them normally.

For some study participants, this shutdown meant freeing up around 9 hours of their time per week usually spent scrolling on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok!

At the end of the week, participants had to provide screen time data from their smartphones, including those who had to attest to having respected the break without social networks. And the results are quite impressive: the intervention group therefore reported spending an average of 21 minutes on social media in a week, compared to an average of 7 hours for the control group.

Positive impact on well-being, depression and anxiety

Before starting the study, “scores” of anxiety, depression and well-being were taken from each participant. At the end of the study, the researchers saw a real improvement in the mental health of the patients after a complete shutdown of the networks for a week.

“Many patients have reported the positive effects of being off social media, with better mood and less anxiety overall. This suggests that even a small break can have an impact”explains Dr. Jeff Lambert, principal investigator of the Department of Health in Bath.

Thus, the researchers want to investigate further to see if even a short break could help different populations, such as younger individuals or patients with physical or mental disorders.

“Of course, social media is a part of life and for many people it is essential to their identity and their interaction with others. But if you spend hours every week scrolling and you feel that it has a negative impact on you, it might be worth reducing your usage and see if it helps“, resumes Doctor Jeff Lambert.

Another goal of the research team is to follow participants for more than a week, to see if the benefits persist over time. If so, this method could become one of the major clinical options used to improve the mental health of patients.