Can Social Media Detox Affect Mental Health?

Susan Noonan, MD, MPH, highlighted a recent study published in JAMA Network Open that examined the association between problematic social media use and mental health outcomes in young adults, as well as the effects of a brief social media detox intervention.¹ The study, led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, aimed to compare objective smartphone-derived measures with self-reported assessments of problematic social media use and to evaluate changes in depression, anxiety, loneliness, and insomnia after a 1-week period without social media.

The investigators conducted a prospective remote cohort study of 393 participants aged 18 to 24 years. During a 2-week baseline period, participants’ use of 5 social media platforms was tracked via smartphone data, along with passive behavioral metrics such as sleep patterns, physical activity, communication, and screen interaction. Participants also completed standardized mental health assessments and daily mood and anxiety ratings. This period was followed by a voluntary 1-week social media detox intervention.

At baseline, mean social media use was approximately 2 hours per day. During the detox, social media use decreased to about 30 minutes per day, although overall screen time remained stable. Of the 295 participants who completed the intervention, significant reductions were observed in depressive symptoms (25%), anxiety (16%), and insomnia (15%), but not loneliness. The greatest improvements occurred among participants with higher baseline depressive symptom severity. Participants without baseline depression experienced smaller but still significant improvements in anxiety and insomnia.

Type of social media use, rather than overall quantity of use, was more strongly associated with adverse mental health outcomes, the study found. The findings suggested that brief, targeted reductions in problematic use may yield clinically meaningful improvements, particularly among individuals with greater baseline symptom burden. Noonan pointed out study limitations included a predominantly female, college-educated sample, reliance on self-report measures, short intervention duration, and lack of a control group. Studies on social media continue to be a useful element for psychiatrists understanding youth social media use and its impact on mental health.²

References

1. Calvert E, Cipriani M, Dwyer B, et al. Social media detox and youth mental health. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(11):e2545245.

2. Coyne P, Woodruff SJ. Taking a break: the effects of partaking in a two-week social media digital detox on problematic smartphone and social media use, and other health-related outcomes among young adults. Behav Sci (Basel). 2023;13(12):1004.