Social Media Detox and Youth Mental Health

Is reducing social media use associated with behavior and mental health outcomes among young adults?In this cohort study of 373 participants, problematic use of social media was found to be significantly associated with worse mental health outcomes. A 1-week social media detox intervention significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety by 16.1%, depression by 24.8%, and insomnia by 14.5%. Although statistically detectable, increases in home time and screen duration were small compared with large within-person variabilities in behavior.These findings suggest that reducing social media use for 1 week may improve mental health outcomes in young adults; however, the durability of these therapeutic outcomes and their associations with behavior require further investigation.

Corresponding Author: John Torous, MD, MBI, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (torous@bidmc.harvard.edu).

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