One week away from social media improves mental health: study

From bcitnews.com

Study shows symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia lessened significantly without regular scrolling

Reversing social media’s impacts on mental health can occur in just one week, according to a November 24th study published in JAMA psychiatry. 

Authored by researchers in Boston and the UK the study followed youth reducing social media use for one week. 

Participants self reported their screen time, along with their daily habits and sleep cycles. Researchers used this data to calculate a reduction in symptoms of anxiety by 16%, depression by 24%, and insomnia by 14%.

Less social media didn’t mean less screen time, though. On average, youth in the study had more screen time overall, but still showed reductions in unwanted symptoms. 

The result has researchers suggesting that negative mental health effects may not be associated with how long someone spends on social media. Instead, they point to behaviours like comparing oneself to others.

“There used to be a time where you would compare yourself to like four people a week in your community. And now people are comparing themselves to 40,000 people a day,” says Skye Barbic, Associate Professor at University of British Columbia School of Medicine. 

While the JAMA study builds on years of publications showing social media’s negative effects, Barbic says social media use isn’t always black and white.

In 2023, Barbic was an author on a study looking at how Tik Tok is increasingly a tool for British Columbia youth to find information about mental health. In some cases, it destigmatized finding treatment or connecting people with like-minded communities.

“There’s a continuum. And we need to help young people understand that continuum and understand when it’s helpful and when it’s impacting function and day to day living,” says Barbic. 

The November study suggests changing social media usage habits may quickly reverse negative mental health symptoms. But Dr. Bernard Crespi, a Professor of Evolutionary Medicine at Simon Fraser University, says some individuals may need to take more care. 

Crespi’s paper about social media and delusions suggest people with narcissism, body dysmorphia, or anorexia may be at a greater risk. Inside a digital bubble without in-person interactions, delusional beliefs cannot be refuted, with Crespi saying social media may “reinforce the delusion.”

Using social media with intention can mitigate harms. (Patrick McConnell / BCIT News)

Barbic agrees the individual using social media is also important, and simply cutting back usage is not a one size fits all solution.

“If you’re a young person who identifies as queer and you live in a very rural, remote community and you have no ability to connect to anyone else, maybe this is a really, really positive thing in your life,” she says.

Barbic advocates for intentional use, like prioritizing quality interactions over passive browsing along with protecting one’s sleep by not scrolling in the hour before bed. She sees Gen Z being more educated about social media, and in some cases removing it entirely, but that there are still folks “on it 10 hours a day.”

An individual’s mental health, ability to set intentions around use, and  real-life community all contribute to social media’s effects. But even with that knowledge Crespi advocates caution.

“It’s just one big experiment,” he says “and it’s being driven by the motivations of the big tech companies who make money by getting people online and getting them hooked.”

https://bcitnews.com/one-week-away-from-social-media-improves-mental-health-study/