Breaks can improve youth mental health, study finds

"The national cohort study followed 373 participants aged 18 to 24 over one week of baseline social media use, and then tracked 295 of those participants who opted into a "social media detox" week. During the detox, the young adults in the study stopped using TikTok, X, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. Researchers used passive smartphone tracking, digital phenotyping and mental health surveys to avoid relying on self-reported screen time."

"According to the study, the one-week social media detox significantly improved youth mental health, with reductions in anxiety by about 16%, depression by nearly 25%, and insomnia by nearly 15%, with no meaningful change in loneliness. Young adults who reported moderate to severe depression had the largest benefit, suggesting that social media breaks may be most valuable for students already struggling with poor mental health."

"Although young adults in the study reduced their social media screen time from nearly two hours per day to about 30 minutes, they spent slightly more time on their phones overall. The study also found that objective measures of social media use, like app openings and device pickups, did not directly correlate to mental health. However, 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."

A national cohort of 373 young adults aged 18 to 24 completed one week of baseline social media monitoring, and 295 participants then completed a one-week social media detox, stopping use of TikTok, X, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. Passive smartphone tracking, digital phenotyping, and mental health surveys measured behavior and symptoms without relying on self-report for screen time. The one-week detox reduced anxiety by about 16%, depression by nearly 25%, and insomnia by nearly 15%, with no meaningful change in loneliness. Participants with moderate to severe depression experienced the largest improvements. Social media use fell from nearly two hours to about 30 minutes while overall phone time rose slightly. Objective app openings and device pickups did not align with mental health outcomes; self-reported problematic use correlated with poorer mental health.

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