A study has revealed that even one week of significantly reduced social media use can improve various aspects of mental health in young people.
In today’s world, social media has become the center of life for many young people, providing communication with friends, news, and stress related content all on a single screen.
A new study has found that staying away from social media for just one week can reduce anxiety, depression, and sleep problems.
Researchers observed 295 young people aged 14 to 24, who reduced their daily screen time from about two hours to just 30 minutes.
After one week, a survey of these young people showed that their symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia had significantly decreased, especially among those who had previously experienced severe depression.
According to the study, this step led to a 16 percent reduction in anxiety symptoms, nearly 25 percent reduction in depression, and a 14.5 percent decrease in insomnia.
The study also found that feelings of loneliness among the participants remained unchanged despite reduced social media use.
Experts say that reducing social media use is beneficial, but it should not be considered the only or primary treatment for mental health conditions.
The research has been published, and its co author is Dr. John Torous, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
