Study finds limiting social media usage to 30 min can reduce depression

Previous studies have shown that excessive usage of social media can lead to depression and loneliness. Now in a newly conducted study, researchers asserted that limiting social media usage to 30 minutes per day can help overcome these mental problems.

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania discovered that limiting usage of social media to 30 minutes per day can result in major improvements in their well being. The study stated that specifically scrolling through friends’ photos and such for less time can lead to lowering depression and loneliness rates.

What differentiates this study from others is that previous studies have shown a co-relation between social media usage and mental health. This study is the first one to show a cause-and-effect relationship between the two, reported Business Insider.

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The study involved 143 undergraduate students who were tested over the course of two semesters. The students were either put into a group that was instructed to limit their social media usage on social media sites including Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram to 30 minutes per day, with 10 minutes for each platform; or were assigned to a control group where they were allowed to carry on with their routine social media habits.

Three weeks later the students were questioned for assessing their mental health across seven areas, including fear of missing out (FOMO), social support, autonomy and self-acceptance, loneliness, anxiety, self-esteem, and depression.

“Here’s the bottom line, using less social media than you normally would leads to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness. These effects are particularly pronounced for folks who were more depressed when they came into the study,” lead researcher Melissa Hunt told Science Daily.

Also, neither of the groups showed improvements in self-esteem, social support, or autonomy and self-acceptance. In both groups, however, students found their level of anxiety and FOMO decline. Hunt also noted that choosing to limit social media usage time rather than having the subjects to stop using it altogether was more realistic.

For the future, Hunt says there is room for further investigations. “As our study was the first of its nature, there are many opportunities for further investigation.”