A new study published yesterday (Monday) showed that taking a one-week break from social media reduces symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in young people. According to the American newspaper "The New York Times," researchers followed 295 volunteers aged 18 to 24 who chose to take a break from using social media for a week. Before and after the study, participants answered questionnaires to measure depression, anxiety, insomnia, loneliness, and several other issues related to the use of these sites. The results found that, on average, anxiety symptoms decreased by 16.1%, depression symptoms by 24.8%, and insomnia symptoms by 14.5% after abstaining from social media for a week. At the same time, there was no change in the reported feeling of loneliness. In fact, participants spent slightly more time on their phones on average during the week they were away from social media. However, the team noted the need for further research to clarify whether these positive health effects are long-lasting. Researchers attributed this to the fact that social media play a constructive social role. Dr. John Toros, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a co-author of the study, said that reducing social media use "will certainly not be the first line of defense or the sole treatment for these issues, but it may be helpful as an adjunct therapy." Researchers explained that the mental health benefit appears to come from avoiding problematic social media behaviors, such as addictive use and negative social comparison, rather than from a total change in screen time.
