No one in the mental and behavioral health community, and especially professionals within the therapeutic school and program field, would be surprised to read any study concluding the too often deleterious connection between social media and mental health.

In a recent JAMA study, 373 participants, this very idea was reviewed. The question posed was “is reducing social media use associated with behavior and mental health outcomes among young adults?” The short answer is yes, and some of the outcomes revealed some interesting results, even if already recognized by those working in this arena.

The findings published were from a study that implemented a one-week social media “detox” as an intervention and showed that “significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety by 16.1%, depression by 24.8%, and insomnia by 14.5%” impacted those involved. Admittedly, perhaps a stronger longitudinal is warranted.

The study confesses that more research is necessary, but the objectives remained to attempt to measure the association “between objective social media use, problematic engagement, and mental health outcomes in young adults.” And to measure the intervention’s time allotment. The platforms used included Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X for two weeks, then a one-week absence from those sites.

The study found it had limits, including self-reporting, usage in different environments, and a sliding scale on age from teenagers to young adults; so results vary. Still, the report found significant connections between time with and without social media, and improvement with a variety of mental health conditions.

“The association between social media use and youth mental health is complex and remains poorly understood,” the authors said, there is still much more that needs to be done to corroborate the association. Concluding arguments said results “depend less on the quantity of use and more on the emotional and psychological state in which use occurs.” More research is necessary on this complicated topic. 

To read the full report, visit

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2841773