This is not the first time that it has been said: social networks are harmful to mental health! But how to limit their presence and, in fact, their impact? Researchers have looked into the question, they publish their study in the American magazine Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking.
The scientists worked with 154 people, of very varied ages: between 18 and 72, in whom they studied the psychological state, via common factors: were they in depression? victims of anxiety? Or were they on the contrary quite well? The objective was to fully understand their state of mind before starting the study.
What are the benefits for mental health?
Then they split them into two groups asking one to stop going to Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram or Facebook for a week, the other could continue to use it as usual. At the end of the week, they checked the screen time indicated by their smartphones to be sure that the instruction had been respected. The first part counted 21 minutes on the networks, the other reached 7 hours on average.
After questioning them, the scientists realized that those who did not have access to the networks were less anxious and in a better mood, those in depression would have experienced a more positive phase.
“Study shows that asking people to stop using social media for 1 week leads to significant improvements in well-being, depression and anxiety,” conclude the researchers.
The research team will now follow the participants for more than a week, to see if the benefits last over time.
They also point out that other studies have already shown the benefits of these digital breaks in the past. And that even short breaks could have a positive impact on mood. According to a study published in 2016, be limited to 10 minutes per day and per application, for 3 weekscan significantly reduce depression.
“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“, commented one of the authors of the study.
Source: Taking a One-Week Break from Social Media Improves Well-Being, Depression, and Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, May 3, 2022.
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