Title: Social Media and Mental Health: Time for a Digital Detox? | Psychology Today
Headings: Social Media and Mental Health: Time for a Digital Detox?
Rob Whitley, Ph.D.
Social Media and Mental Health: Time for a Digital Detox?
Why social media is bad for mental health, and what can be done to reduce usage.
What Is the Impact of Such Usage on Mental Health?
The Passive Use of Social Media
The Active Use of Social Media
Social Media and Physical Health
Social Media and Social Activity
Steps to Taking a Digital Detox

Content: What Is the Impact of Such Usage on Mental Health? A growing number of studies examine the link between social media usage and mental health. These point to one clear conclusion: Low levels of social media usage are associated with better mental health. For example, a large-scale study indicated that occasional users of social media are almost three times less likely to be depressed than heavy users. Another study indicated that young people who use social media more than two hours per day are much more likely to rate their mental health as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ compared with occasional users. Importantly, one recent study found that people who limited their social media use to half an hour a day have significantly lower depressive and anxiety symptoms compared to a control group. All this suggests that over-usage of social media can be bad for mental health. The Passive Use of Social Media
Social media usage is sometimes divided into passive and active usage. Passive usage refers to the practice of quietly observing other people’s social media.