Review finds social media abstinence has no significant mental health effect

8 articles · Updated · PsyPost · May 6

Published in Scientific Reports, Laura Lemahieu's meta-analysis pooled 10 studies involving 4,674 adults and found no significant changes in positive affect, negative affect or life satisfaction.
Breaks ranging from one day to nearly a month showed no consistent benefit, suggesting reduced stress from fewer notifications may be offset by boredom or social disconnection.
The authors said evidence is limited by small, mostly Western student samples and weak compliance, and suggested future research test moderated use, such as time limits or fewer notifications.

Why does quitting social media have a neutral impact on adults but a significant one on younger generations?

If quitting social media has no effect, why are platforms being designed to be so addictive, especially for teens?