Taking a break from social media may come with real benefits, according to a major new study.
Researchers at Stanford University asked about 36,000 Facebook and Instagram users to log off in the weeks leading up to the 2020 US presidential election, and the results showed that their emotional well-being improved.
The participants — all of whom were active on the apps for at least 15 minutes a day — were split into two groups.
About 27% were paid to deactivate their accounts for six weeks, while the rest served as a control group and only logged off for one week.
The results showed a clear lift for Facebook users who stayed off the platform for longer.
Their emotional well-being significantly improved compared to the control group.
Instagram users also saw a bump, but smaller.
Their emotional state rose very slightly, though that result did not hold up under stricter statistical tests.
Facebook’s biggest gains showed up among users over 35, undecided voters and those without college degrees.
For Instagram, the strongest improvements were seen among women ages 18 to 24.
Users did not trade scrolling for real-world activity. Most of the time freed up from Instagram, and much of time on Facebook, was redirected to other apps — suggesting their boost in mood came from the platforms themselves, not less screen time.
Even so, the study stands out as one of the largest experiments of its kind and the first to isolate Instagram’s effects.
YouTube and Instagram recently got slapped with a massive $6 million bill after a Los Angeles jury decided their addictive apps were to blame for a young woman’s mental health spiral.
