Breaks in using social media ‘cut depression’

TAKING A break from social media for as little as a week can reduce depression and anxiety, according to new research.

People who took a break from platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for seven days reported an increased sense of wellbeing, a study by the University of Bath found.

Researchers split a sample of 154 people aged 18 to 72 into two groups – one of which was banned from social media while the other was not.

On average, participants used social media for eight hours a week. Participants were quizzed on their baseline levels of anxiety and depression, and their sense of wellbeing, using three recognised tests.

They were asked to rate their agreement with statements such as “I’ve been feeling optimistic about the future” and “I’ve been thinking clearly” to measure wellbeing.

To measure depression, participants were asked questions including “how often during the past two weeks were you bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things”.

Anxiety was monitored using the General Anxiety Disorder Scale, which asks how often a person is bothered by feeling nervous or on edge, or an inability to stop worrying.

Those who took a one-week break from social media saw their wellbeing climb from an average of 46 to 55.93 on The WarwickEdinburgh Mental Well-being Scale.

Lead author Dr Jeff Lambert, of the university’s Department for Health, said: “Many of our participants reported positive effects from being off social media with improved mood and less anxiety overall.

“This suggests that even just a small break can have an impact.”