A national study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that a one-week social media break significantly boosted mental health in 18- to 24-year-olds, as reported by EdSource. Researchers used passive smartphone tracking, digital phenotyping and mental health surveys to avoid relying on self-reported screen time.
Key study findings:
- Participants who paused their use of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and other platforms for a week experienced reduced anxiety (16%), depression (25%), and insomnia (15%).
- Those who reported moderate to severe depression experienced the most significant improvements.
- Young adults in the study reduced their social media screen time from nearly two hours per day to about 30 minutes, but they spent slightly more time on their phones overall.
- Objective measures of social media use, like app openings and device pickups, did not directly correlate to mental health.
- Young adults who reported “problematic use” of social media, like compulsive checking, social comparison and addictive patterns, were much more likely to experience poor mental health.
“This developmental stage, often described as emerging adulthood, is marked by heightened vulnerability and transition,” said the report’s authors. “Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence suggesting that brief digital detox interventions may offer meaningful mental health benefits.”
EdSource
