Two-Week Social Media 'Detox' Erases a Decade of Age-Related Decline, Study Finds (yahoo.com) 18
Critics say social media is engineered to be as addictive as tobacco or gambling, writes the Washington Post — while adding that "the science has been moving in parallel with the court's recognition."
A growing body of research links heavy social media use not only to declines in mental health but to measurable cognitive effects — on attention, memory and focus — that in some studies resemble accelerated aging. Science also suggests we have more control than we realize when it comes to reversing this damage, and the solution is surprisingly simple: Take a break... "Digital detoxes" can sound like a fad. But in one of the largest studies to date, published in PNAS Nexus and involving more than 467 participants with an average age of 32, even a short time away produced striking results — effectively erasing a decade of age-related cognitive decline.
For 14 days, participants used a commercially available app, Freedom, to block internet access on their phones. They were still allowed calls and text messages, essentially turning a smartphone into a dumb phone. Their time online decreased from 314 minutes to 161 minutes, and by the end of the period the participants had improvements in sustained attention, mental health as well as self-reported well-being. The improvement in sustained attention was about the same magnitude as 10 years of age-related decline, the researchers noted, and the effect of the intervention on depression symptoms was larger than antidepressants and similar to that of cognitive behavioral therapy.
But two things were even more mind-blowing... Even those people who cheated and broke the rules after a few days seemed to have positive effects from the break; and in follow-up reports after the two weeks, many people reported the positive effects lingered. "So you don't have to necessarily restrict yourself forever. Even taking a partial digital detox, even for a few days, seems to work," Kushlev said.
The article also notes a November study at Harvard published in JAMA Network Open where nearly 400 people 'found that even a short break can make a measurable difference: After just one week of reduced smartphone use, participants reported drops in anxiety (16.1 percent), depression (24.8 percent) and insomnia (14.5 percent)..."
"Other experiments point in the same direction — whether decreasing social media use by an hour a day for one week or stepping away from just Facebook and Instagram."
For 14 days, participants used a commercially available app, Freedom, to block internet access on their phones. They were still allowed calls and text messages, essentially turning a smartphone into a dumb phone. Their time online decreased from 314 minutes to 161 minutes, and by the end of the period the participants had improvements in sustained attention, mental health as well as self-reported well-being. The improvement in sustained attention was about the same magnitude as 10 years of age-related decline, the researchers noted, and the effect of the intervention on depression symptoms was larger than antidepressants and similar to that of cognitive behavioral therapy.
But two things were even more mind-blowing... Even those people who cheated and broke the rules after a few days seemed to have positive effects from the break; and in follow-up reports after the two weeks, many people reported the positive effects lingered. "So you don't have to necessarily restrict yourself forever. Even taking a partial digital detox, even for a few days, seems to work," Kushlev said.
The article also notes a November study at Harvard published in JAMA Network Open where nearly 400 people 'found that even a short break can make a measurable difference: After just one week of reduced smartphone use, participants reported drops in anxiety (16.1 percent), depression (24.8 percent) and insomnia (14.5 percent)..."
"Other experiments point in the same direction — whether decreasing social media use by an hour a day for one week or stepping away from just Facebook and Instagram."
Can we ban social media... (Score:3)
... two weeks prior to the next major US elections please ?
Not saying that this will skew the results towards one or the other major parties, but hoping that it might at least nudge them towards more sane results.
Even though that hope is most probably misplaced...
Slashdot, youtube etc? (Score:1)
Technically not exactly social media but I assume these sites have a similarly bad effect? Since the attention grabbing, the political tribalism, clickbait and tribal hatred has become increasingly ubiquitous absolutely everywhere online.
Slashdot is very far away from the site it originally used to be, it must have a similar detrimental effect.
A disease of the Internet (Score:3)
Recently I've joined truth social and x to read on the comments and educate myself about social media. Boy I had a shock!
It felt depressing just going a couple of hours over those political posts and comments. I cannot imagine visiting these platforms several hours each day.
Blocking these platforms would would be like cutting cancer from a body. I feel sorry for those parents who need to introduce these platforms to their kids.
Re: (Score:2)
Now, on topic of TFA- can I reverse some of my age issues by taking a
Re: A disease of the Internet (Score:1)
But it is not just these sites, it is happening absolutely EVERYWHERE.. even in video games and movie discussions, it is like a new battle-front for the culture-wars everywhere. The entire internet is swept by this, even here on /. it has already begun.
Yea (Score:1)
Social media may be a problem... (Score:1)
...for some people, but it's is also a great benefit to some and harmless fun for others.
It's a problem that government can't fix and shouldn't try to fix.
Government is a blunt instrument with limited ability to solve complex problems.
When government gets involved, they usually make everything worse.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Meanwhile one week on slashdot (Score:2)
Engage passively (Score:2)
It only starts to become a problem when people create content. Such as sharing a post or comment, and then obsess over the reactions of others.
Basically looking for validation from others is going to cause problems. Especially online, due to the lack of real world cues & hints
The answer is simple. Remain passive or learn to ignore most people
More "A study has shown" bullshit (Score:1)
If you want to "show" something, save yourself the effort and pull numbers out of your ass, they're just as likely to be accurate.
If you have to ... (Score:2)
If you have to use a program to NOT go on the WEBz there is NO QUESTION you have a problem. Just turn the phone off. Better yet turn of the notifications that keep you hanging on and just live your life.
Cognitive decline? (Score:2)
Keep the distance to social media (Score:2)
There's no serious problem thinkable to which social media is ever truly the optimum solution.
Luckily, nowadays, it's at least perfectly acceptable to state that one stays away on purpose. But we should kick the habit. Getting youngsters off it is just the start.