A new study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that when young people reframe their relationship with social media, they reduce its negative impact on their mental health.
The study, conducted by researchers in Canada, looked at 393 social media-using young adults between the ages of 17 and 29 who had elevated mental health concerns and said that social media negatively impacted their lives. These participants were randomly assigned to three groups: a control group that continued to use social media in the same way; a group that was encouraged to abstain from using social media entirely; and a group in which participants took a tutorial and were encouraged to use social media in a way that enhanced connectedness.
During the six-week period in which participants were tracked, the control group did not improve, as expected, however, members of the abstinence and education groups both saw mental health improvements, albeit in different ways.
“The abstinence group was the only group to cut back on depression, stress, and anxiety over the six-week period,” says Amori Yee Mikami, the study’s lead author. “But the education group, the ones we taught the tips and tricks to, they were actually the only ones to cut back on fear of missing out and loneliness.”
Mikami, who is psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, says the study and future research in this area has implications for how school leaders and other policy-makers respond to social media’s mental health implications.
“There’s a lot of like talk about how social media can be really bad for your mental health, and I think it can be,” she says. “But to me, the biggest takeaway is that there might be another option in addition to, or instead of, just trying to quit, there could be a way to instead learn some tips and tricks to use social media in a smarter way.”
The participants in the education arm of the study were encouraged to be mindful in their social media use.
“A lot of people say that they use social media kind of mindlessly,” Mikami says. “It’s like a reflex: You pick up your phone to check, but you don’t even know why you’re checking. It just feels like a habit. What we’re trying to do in that education group is to change that pattern. So to use social media more intentionally with purpose, and while paying attention to what you’re getting out of it, and how it’s making you feel.”
She adds, “The point is to log out from, or try to detach from, move away from, reduce the type of use that’s making you feel bad, but conversely, lean into and amp up the type of use that is making you feel good and bringing you the things that you want in your life.”
Generally speaking, people want to avoid things such as doom scrolling and comparing themselves to an influencer they don’t know or truly care about. Instead, people should spend more time focusing on the type of social media use they tend to enjoy, which is usually focused on those they know and care about in real life, Mikami says.
“Lean into those relationships,” she says. “That might mean trying intentionally to be more actively engaged with them, commenting on their posts, sending them a direct message.”
Implications For School and Classroom Policy and Future Research
Mikami says the next stage of this study is to look at the impact of similar interventions in younger teens in the middle or high school age range in the U.S. or secondary school in Canada.
“Some of the participants in our study said that the tips and tricks were really helpful now, but they would have been more helpful when they were in secondary school,” Mikami says. “A lot of them said, ‘Well, it just felt like social media was our whole world back then.’”
In the meantime, educators and parents can help children by changing their own social media habits and discussing that.
“Adults of all ages are probably just as guilty of mindless social media use as teens are,” Mikami says. “I encourage parents and teachers to think about your own social media use and the model that you’re setting for your kids, and then talk about it with your kids.”
Many schools have banned cell phones in the U.S., in part in an attempt to limit social media use, and Australia has even banned it for children 16 and under. This research suggests that might not be the only option.
“I wonder if it’s unrealistic for everybody to stop social media use entirely; even if you try to forbid 16-year-olds to use social media, they’re going to find some way around it,” Mikami says. “Then you’ve made it forbidden, and once they’re 17, I wonder if you’ll see a rebound effect.”
She adds, “Cutting down social media use on average is probably a good idea. What I like about this study is that there are other options, too. It’s not just about the total amount of time you use social media. It’s also about what you’re doing on social media.”