‘Cut social media use to reduce depression’

SOCIAL media use should be limited to 10 minutes per day to reduce loneliness and depression, a study has found.

University of Pennsylvania researchers discovered that students who drastically cut time spent on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat experienced “significant declines” in symptoms associated with depression.

Psychologist Melissa G Hunt, the report’s lead author, said: “It is ironic, but perhaps not surprising, that reducing social media, which promised to help us connect with others, actually helps people feel less lonely and depressed.”

The university said that their study recorded firsthand data of participants’ social media use to make a “causal link” with depression. Most other studies have relied on participants’ own estimates of social media use. One participant said: “Not comparing my life to the lives of others had a much stronger impact than I expected, and I felt a lot more positive about myself during those weeks.”