The association between social media use and youth mental health is complex and remains poorly understood. Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported inconsistent and conflicting associations, which may partly reflect differences in how young people engage with social media. These discrepancies have also been attributed to an overreliance on self-reported estimates of use, such as screen time, and related behaviors including communication habits, sleep patterns, and physical activity, all of which may introduce bias and confound observed associations.
Young adults aged 18–24 years are consistently identified as among the most frequent users of social media and as a population at heightened risk for the onset of depression, anxiety, and related mental health concerns. This developmental stage, often described as emerging adulthood, is characterized by vulnerability and transition, making it an important period for examining the mental health outcomes associated with social media use. Short-term interventions, such as a 1-week social media detox, have increasingly been studied as feasible approaches to reducing problematic use and improving well-being in young populations.
A prospective cohort study published in JAMA Network Open by Calvert et al., demonstrated that a 2-week observational period followed by a 1-week social media detox intervention reduced the symptoms of anxiety by 16.1%, depression by 24.8% and insomnia by 14.5% in young adults (see the Graphic for the study snapshot).
Source: Calvert E, Cipriani M, Dwyer B, Lisowski V, Mikkelson J, Chen K, Flathers M, Hau C, Xia W, Castillo J, Dhima A, Ryan S, Torous J. Social media detox and youth mental health. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(11):e2545245. Doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.45245.