If something is bad for you, you should quit it, right? Most people would agree with that statement, and for good reason. What we’re conventionally taught is that we need to get as far away as possible from the things that aren’t good for us. This may not apply to social media, though.
With countless experts and research claiming that too much screen time negatively impacts everything from child development to the loneliness epidemic, you’d think quitting apps cold turkey would be the best solution. A new study argues otherwise.
A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, conducted by three members of the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, concluded that taking a more mindful approach to social media may be more effective than deleting all of your accounts and apps.
For the study, researchers gathered a total of 393 participants between the ages of 17 and 29. These participants were divided into three groups: control, abstinence, and tutorial. The control group continued using social media as they normally did, while the abstinence group stopped using social media completely. Meanwhile, the tutorial group was given “assistance to engage with social media in a way to enhance connectedness.”
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According to the outlet StudyFindspsychology professor and lead study author Amori Mikami said, “There’s a lot of talk about how damaging social media can be, but our team wanted to see if this was really the full picture or if the way people engage with social media might make a difference.” This is why researchers particularly wanted to compare the outcomes for the tutorial and abstinence groups.
“As you might expect, people in the abstinence group drastically reduced their time on social media,” StudyFinds said. “But, the tutorial group also cut back on their social media use compared to the control group, even though they were never specifically told to do so. Just becoming more mindful about social media naturally led them to be more selective about their usage.”
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While it would be natural to assume that the abstinence group experienced the best results from their time participating in the study, that wasn’t necessarily true. The abstinence group did report less depression and anxiety. However, they did not experience a difference in feelings of loneliness.
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On the other hand, the tutorial group reported that they did, in fact, feel less lonely, as well as FOMO or fear of missing out. This led researchers to conclude that, when used properly, social media can actually be an important tool to make and maintain social connections.
Participants who completely stopped using social media were no longer able to use it to connect with their friends, which caused a sense of loneliness. Those who used it more judiciously were able to spend less time interacting with content from celebrities and influencers, which still allowed them to maintain virtual relationships with friends and family.
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Statista reported that approximately five billion people used social media in 2023. 306 million of those users were in the United States. That’s an awful lot of people to get to completely change a habit that has really become more of a lifestyle.
But Mikami says that’s probably not needed. “For many people, quitting isn’t a realistic option,” Mikami said. Really, that’s okay given the study’s findings.
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“Cutting off social media might reduce some of the pressures young adults feel around presenting a curated image of themselves online,” Mikami said. “But stopping social media might also deprive young adults of social connections with friends and family, leading to feelings of isolation.”
If you’re a social media user, the best thing you can do for yourself is make sure you take care to use it as a way to interact with people you really do care about instead of just doomscrolling.
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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
