You’re not alone if you feel mentally off after eyeballing yet another social media influencer’s dream vacation content or their impressive party spread they effortlessly whipped up. But while scrolling through TikTok or Instagram is an easy way to pass the time when you’re stuck in line or flat-out bored, a growing body of research suggests what many of us already intuitively know: It’s not great for your mental health. Now, a new study spells out clear benefits from taking a break—and suggests you can see an uptick in your mood in as little as a week.
The study, which was published in JAMA Network Open, makes a solid case for stepping back from social media, especially if your mental health isn’t as great as you’d like it to be. Still, “I think everybody could benefit from doing this,” Thea Gallagher, PsyD, a clinical associate professor at NYU Langone Health and cohost of the Mind in View podcast, tells SELF. Here’s why.
What did the study find?
For the study, researchers asked 373 people between the ages of 18 and 24 to share information about their regular social media use and answer questions about their mental health. The researchers discovered that the participants spent about 1.9 hours a day on a range of social media platforms, which translates to about 13.3 hours a week.
From there, the participants were asked to do a one-week social media detox, where they avoided using platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X, while reporting on their mental health status. (A total of 295 people actually did this.) During that time, their total screen time fell to about half an hour a day.
The researchers discovered that the detox was linked with a 24.8% drop in symptoms of depression, 16.1% dip in symptoms of anxiety, and 14.5% drop in symptoms of insomnia—and the impact was even greater in people who had more of these symptoms at the start of the study. However, the detox didn’t have an impact on feelings of loneliness. “These findings suggest that reducing social media use for one week may improve mental health outcomes in young adults,” the researchers wrote in the conclusion.
Why a social media detox can help mental health
The researchers make it clear in the study that more work is needed to uncover what’s behind this link. But doctors have a few theories.
“Social media for many people stokes comparison with unrealistic expectations,” Gail Saltz, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at the NY Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell School of Medicine, tells SELF.
Dr. Gallagher agrees. “You’re constantly comparing your life to other people on social media—that alone will increase anxiety and depression,” she says. “Even just taking a one-week break from this constant comparison can have a benefit for your mental health.” At the same time, you’re faced with a lot of content that’s urging you to buy new stuff, she points out. “That can end up feeling like you need to buy certain things to have a better life,” Dr. Gallagher says.
But you may also be consuming content on social media that’s deliberately stoking feelings of anxiety, Hillary Ammon, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety & Women’s Emotional Wellness, tells SELF. “The tricky thing about algorithms is that they see what you view and then provide more of that content,” she says. “Before you realize it, you can be down a rabbit hole related to content that is creating feelings of fear or sadness.”
Stepping back from those apps can also give you a sense of control, which is a concern that Dr. Gallagher says she hears a lot from patients around their social media use.
Also worth pointing out, per Dr. Saltz: Being on social media means you’re not doing other meaningful things. (Again, people spent nearly two hours a day on social media on average.) “That in and of itself can increase anxiety and lower mood,” she says.
As for the insomnia link, it tends to go hand-in-hand with anxiety, Christopher Winter, MD, a sleep medicine specialist, neurologist, and author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It, tells SELF. Meaning, when you feel more anxious, it’s harder to sleep. “Also, when social media is eliminated from the evening routine, it opens up time for reading, meditation, prayer, yoga, breathing exercises, or simply connecting with a partner in a more meaningful way,” he says. “All of these things are tangible ways to improve sleep quality.”
How to pull this off
You can simply make a pact with yourself to go off of social media for a week and see how you do, Dr. Gallagher says. But if that feels like a stretch, Dr. Saltz suggests starting with a one-day detox. “Then, move to four days; then, do a week,” she says. “You’ll be able to gauge if you have a little more of a relaxed feeling afterwards pretty easily.” (If you don’t trust yourself to actually stay off social media, Dr. Ammon recommends deleting your apps.)
Dr. Ammon suggests trying to explore your urge to use social media during this time. “By taking a break, you can further understand when you seek out your phone—are you bored? Anxious?” she says.
While you’re on a break, Dr. Gallagher suggests making sure you still connect with other people in real life and fill the time you might have spent on social media with something more meaningful. That could be as simple as reading a book or getting out to visit a friend.
When you come back to social media, Dr. Gallagher recommends creating boundaries for yourself. Maybe you’ll decide you can only use your apps during certain times of the day or under specific situations (like when you’re stuck in line with zero entertainment options available). “Try to maintain some control so it’s not constant,” she says. “That can have a big impact on your mental health.”
Related:
- The 5 Best Foods to Eat for Better Mental Health
- 5 Things That Can Help When You Feel Irritable and Depressed
- 17 Energizing Afternoon Habits for When You Need a Pick-Me-Up
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