College students who cut social media use to 30 minutes a day less likely to be depressed

Young adults who cut their social media use to just 30 minutes a day are less likely to experience mental health problems, a study suggests.

Iowa State University researchers recruited 230 college students and asked half to reduce their social media use from about three hours and 15 minutes a day to just half an hour — or by 85 percent — over two weeks.

Those who limited their use had significant improvements in levels of depression, anxiety and loneliness. They were also more likely to report positive feelings of excitement and pride.

Scientists suggested this could be because young people felt more in control of their social media use, which promoted well-being. It comes amid rising rates of mental health problems among young adults, with up to 44 percent now reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression.

For the study, published in the journal Technology, Mind and Behaviorresearchers sent emails to university students asking them to participate in the study.

A total of 230 students agreed, who were on average 22 years old and all had a smartphone. About 70 percent were women.

They were split into two groups, with about half asked to limit their social media use to 30 minutes a day, while the rest were told to keep going.

At the beginning and end of the study – conducted in 2021 – scientists conducted a series of tests to measure their anxiety, depression, loneliness and fear of missing out.

They were also asked to complete surveys to measure the “positivity effect,” or their tendency to experience positive emotions, such as pride or excitement.

Participants were asked to self-report how long they spent on social media each day before and during the trial, and how long they used different apps.

During the trial, they received daily reminders via email to limit their use of social media.

The researchers found that all participants used social media for an average of 195 minutes a day at the start of the trial.

The most used app on average was TikTok – with about 95 minutes per day – followed by YouTube – 87 minutes – Snapchat – 80 minutes – and Facebook – 59 minutes. Instagram was at the bottom of the pile at 57 minutes a day.

At the start of the study, the research suggested that many of the participants had clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression.

But by the end, these had improved significantly among participants who used social media for just 30 minutes a day.

This group also saw an increase in the number of people who experienced the “positivity effect,” the results showed.

Dr. Ella Faulhaber, an expert in human-computer interaction who led the study, said: ‘I was surprised to find that participants’ well-being improved not just in one dimension, but in all dimensions.

“I was thrilled to hear that such a simple intervention of sending a daily reminder can motivate people to change their behavior and improve their social media habits.”

The above shows mental health problems reported by college students attending the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State University

Those over 44 seem to be happier – 34 percent of Americans ages 18-29 and 35 percent ages 30-44 have been told they have depression, compared to 26 percent of those 45-64 year-olds and 21 percent of those 65 and older

In the group that limited social media use, they also saw an improvement in mental health in young adults who exceeded the 30-minute limit per day.

“The lesson here is that it’s not about being perfect, it’s about putting in the effort, that makes a difference.

“I think self-restraint and attentiveness are the secret ingredients, even more so than the 30-minute benchmark.”

The study was observational and failed to determine exactly why limiting social media use improved participants’ well-being.

But researchers suggested it could be because participants had self-control over how they used the apps, which may promote well-being.

‘Given the design of the current study, it cannot be determined to what extent the results were an effect of self-monitoring, limiting use or carrying out self-monitoring.

“However, it is still remarkable that without complete abstinence from social media, encouraging limited use through a daily reminder email can effectively reduce negative psychological well-being.”