The researchers put a group of 154 participants into two groups: one that stopped using social media for a week and one that continued to use social media as normal.
The study showed that the group that participated in the one-week discontinuation of social media use had significant improvements in self-reported well-being, depression and anxiety.
Participants who took a one-week break were more likely to agree with well-being statements such as “I’ve been feeling optimistic about the future” and “I’ve been thinking clearly.” They were also less likely to feel nervous or worried, or report depressive symptoms.
This shows that even brief social media breaks can have a significant effect on mental health, which can contribute to the improvement of mental health conditions, the authors said.