We all know using social media is considered bad for you. A high social media diet is linked to anxiety, depression and FOMO (the fear of missing out). Even internal research data from Meta, the company behind Instagram and Facebook, agrees.
However, over the last decade, social media has become woven into the fabric of our daily lives. It’s hard to imagine life without it.
Young adults are especially vulnerable: 80 per cent of young adults use social media daily, spending close to three hours per day on it. For many, scrolling social media is the first thing they do when they wake up and the last thing before they go to bed.
On the plus side, social media can also help people connect with friends and family. This is especially true for people with minoritized or stigmatized identities: social media can help them find a community of similar others, who may live far away.
So what should we do? Is the only answer for us to quit social media altogether? Or is it possible for us to learn how to use social media in smarter ways?
A new study from our lab, the Promoting Equitable, Affirming Relationships Lab at the University of British Columbia, suggests that not only is it possible, but also, that using social media intentionally can actually improve well-being. The study’s findings highlight the potential for social media to be a tool for good, rather than a source of stress.
Multiple digital self-control tools like lockout mechanisms and timers exist to help us cut back on social media, but we asked the question: what if simply using social media differently could maximize its positives and minimize its negatives in our lives?
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Using social media for maximum benefit
In our six-week study, 393 Canadian young adults with some mental health symptoms and concerns about social media’s impact on their lives were split into three groups:
● A control group that continued their usual routines
● An abstinence group asked to take a break from social media entirely
● An educational program group that was coached in intentional usage
The educational program showed people how to avoid the downsides — like feeling pressured to look or act a certain way online — and instead focus on the good stuff.
To do this, we emphasized quality over quantity in social media interactions. Participants built a healthier online environment by muting or unfollowing accounts that triggered envy or negative self-comparisons, and by prioritizing close friendships.
Rather than passively scrolling, they were encouraged to actively engage with friends by commenting or sending direct messages — a behaviour that tends to deepen meaningful connections while helping users feel more socially supported.
We also asked all participants to track their screen time and tell us about their well-being.
The study found that participants who took a break from social media or participated in an educational program on intentional social media use experienced improvements in their mental health.
Feeling less lonely
Our results are promising. Those who took a break felt fewer depression and anxiety symptoms, while those in the educational program felt less lonely and experienced less FOMO.
Our educational program also inadvertently impacted social media habits. Although participants in this program didn’t cut back on their social media use as much as those in the abstinence group, they still reduced their screen time relative to the control group.
We suspect that as they started to use social media more intentionally, they cut out the type of use that made them feel bad but increased or maintained the type of use that made them feel good.
Stopping social comparisons
Both groups — those who took a break and those who completed the educational program — showed a decrease in the tendency to compare themselves to others online. This is a big step since social comparison is often touted as the root of all evil stemming from social media use.
Overall, both approaches reduced unhealthy social media habits and improved well-being. Using social media in an intentional, connected way might be just as beneficial, and potentially more sustainable for some, than quitting altogether.
Our results suggest that with the right guidance, young adults can curate a more positive experience, using social media to support their mental health instead of detracting from it.
Looking for genuine connections
At the Promoting Equitable, Affirming, Relationships Lab, we research how young people form supportive and lasting relationships — both online and in-person.
Part of what we do is to find out and understand how social media can be harnessed to help people find community. Conversely, we are looking at ways to avoid the potential negatives of the online sphere.
While our study offers some solutions, the bigger question remains: How can we continue to foster supportive and authentic connections in an increasingly digital world?
Bottom line? Social media is here to stay and we need to find the healthiest ways to live with it.
Through our research, we hope to start a conversation about how we can make social media a tool for genuine connection, rather than a source of stress, for a healthier online experience.
A SSHRC Insight Grant funded this project.
