Harvard Study: Social Media Detox Boosts Mental Health; 6 Tips for Teens to Cut Instagram Use

• A Harvard Medical School study found a one-week social media detox significantly improved mental health, reducing anxiety by 16.1%, depression by 24.8%, and insomnia by 14.5%.
• Led by John Torous, the study observed young adults who reduced social media use from 1.9 hours/week to 30 minutes during detox, while total screen time remained constant.
• Instagram and Snapchat were identified as the most challenging platforms to resist during the detox period.
• Teens, aged 13-19, spend an average of 1.78 hours daily on TikTok, with overall screen time peaking at 8 hours 39 minutes during the 2021 pandemic.
• To help teens, tips include open conversations, setting boundaries, offering alternatives, using parental controls (Qustodio, Bark, Google Family Link), modeling healthy behavior, and gradual detox.

Why It Matters: A social media detox significantly improves mental health, and healthy habits are crucial for teens.