New research has found that taking a one-week break from social media may lead to significant improvements in a person’s well-being, depression and anxiety, with the hope that in the future, it could be suggested to help people manage their mental health.
Researchers from the University of Bath examined the mental health effects of a week-long breakout on social media. Participants were asked to free up nine hours of their week that they would otherwise have spent using social media.
the study It collected 154 participants between the ages of 18 and 72 who used social media daily. Volunteers were randomly assigned to either an intervention group, where they were asked to stop using all social media for one week, or a control group, where they could continue to scroll as usual. At the start of the study, researchers took baseline scores for anxiety, depression, and well-being.
Participants who were asked to take a one-week break had significantly improved well-being, depressionAnd the worry of those who continued to use social media, indicating a short-term benefit.
Lead researcher from the Department of Health in Bath, Dr. Jeff Lambert, explains that “Scrolling on social media is so ubiquitous that many of us do it almost without thinking from the moment we wake up until we close our eyes at night.
“We know that social media use is huge and that there are growing concerns about its effects on mental health, so with this study, we wanted to see if just asking people to take a week off can yield mental health benefits.
“Many of our participants reported positive effects from staying off social media with improved mood and less anxiety overall. This suggests that even just a small break can have an effect.”
“Of course, social media is a part of life, and for many people, it is an indispensable part of who they are and how they interact with others. But if you spend hours each week scrolling and feel that it is affecting you negatively, it may be worth reducing your use to find out what If it is useful.”
The team now wants to build on the study to see if taking short breaks on social media can help different demographics (for example, younger people or people with physical and mental health conditions). The team also wants to study the effects over a long period to see if the benefits persist over time. If so, in the future, they anticipate that this could form part of the suite of clinical options used to help manage mental health.
Social media use is not the only factor to consider when examining mental health. As shown in this Study funded by MQThe socioeconomic status, demography, and mental health of young people’s parents are all important factors to consider.
the study It found that moderate use of social media does not play a significant role in shaping a child’s life satisfaction. Higher levels of use are associated with lower levels of happiness, especially for girls, but more research is needed to understand how this technology is used. In addition to focusing on high levels of social media use, policy makers should also focus on specific population groups and factors that affect the social fabric of families in which children grow up.
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