The link between depression and social media is complex. While a lot of people claim a clear causal relation, several studies show there isn’t (e.g. more recently here). On the other hand, we also know that feeling bad can be the cause of using social media more. And even worse: we also know that social media can harm you if you are not ok. With this in the back of our minds, it’s not so surprising that this review study shows that therapy for problematic social media use can effectively improve the mental well-being of people with depression. There is only one sad thing: the quality of research in this field is often of low quality.

From the press release:

The research, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, found that social media use interventions could help adults for whom social media use has become problematic or interferes with their mental health.

Problematic use is when a person’s pre-occupation with social media results in a distraction from their primary tasks and the neglect of responsibilities in other aspects of their life.

Previous research has suggested that social media use can become problematic when it starts to interfere with a person’s daily life and leads to poor mental wellbeing, including depression, anxiety, stress and loneliness.

To address these issues, and improve users’ mental health, social media use interventions have been developed and evaluated by researchers. Such techniques include abstaining from or limiting use of social media, alongside therapy-based techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

The researchers analysed 23 studies which featured participants from across the globe, between 2004 and 2022. They found that in more than a third of studies (39%), social media use interventions improved mental wellbeing.

Improvements were particularly notable in depression (low mood), as 70% of studies saw a significant improvement in depression following the intervention.

Therapy-based interventions were most effective — improving mental wellbeing in 83% of studies, compared to a 20% of studies finding an improvement where social media use was limited and 25% where social media was given up entirely.

Lead author, Dr Ruth Plackett (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health), said: “Mental health issues are on the rise, as is the number of people who use social media.

“Health and care professionals should be aware that reducing time spent on social media is unlikely to benefit mental wellbeing on its own.

“Instead, taking a more therapy-based approach and reflecting on how and why we are interacting with social media and managing those behaviours could help improve mental health.”

Study author and GP Dr Patricia Schartau (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health), added: “As primary care physicians, we should proactively explore social media use and its effects on mental health in patients who present with anxiety and/or low mood in order to give those patients the opportunity to benefit from treatment including some of the more effective interventions outlined in our review.”

In 2022 it was estimated that 4.59 billion people globally used at least one form of social media and the sites have dramatically changed how people communicate, form relationships and perceive each other.

While some studies report that social media can be beneficial to users and provide them with increased social support, other evidence links social media with depression, anxiety and other psychological problems — particularly in young people.

The researchers hope that their findings will help to develop guidance and recommendations for policymakers and clinicians on how best to manage problematic social media use.

However, further research is needed in order to investigate who may benefit most from social media use interventions.

Dr Plackett holds a Fellowship (award number MH013) funded by the the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Schools Mental Health Programme. This research is also independent research supported by the NIHR ARC North Thames. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Study limitations

Current experimental research is of low quality, with issues of selection bias making it difficult to generalise the findings.

Further experimental and longitudinal research is needed with representative samples to investigate who may benefit most from social media use interventions.

Abstract of the study:

Background:There is some evidence that more social media use is related to poorer mental well-being and that social media use can become problematic when it starts to interfere with a person’s daily life and mental well-being. To address this issue and improve users’ mental well-being, social media use interventions (eg, abstinence from social media) have been developed and evaluated. However, there is limited understanding of the effectiveness of these interventions in improving mental well-being.

Objective:This systematic review aimed to synthesize the literature on the effectiveness of social media use interventions in improving mental well-being in adults.

Methods:A systematic search (January 1, 2004, to July 31, 2022) was completed across 3 databases in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Experimental studies evaluating the impact of social media use interventions on mental well-being in adults were included. Outcomes related to mental well-being, such as depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness, were included. A narrative synthesis without meta-analysis was completed to summarize the study characteristics and effectiveness by outcome and intervention type. The Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool was used to measure the quality of the studies.

Results:Of the 2785 studies identified through the systematic search, 23 (0.83%) were included in the analysis. Many of the included studies (9/23, 39%) found improvements in mental well-being, some (7/23, 30%) found mixed effects, and others (7/23, 30%) found no effect on mental well-being. Therapy-based interventions that used techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy were more effective than limiting use of social media or full abstinence from social media, with 83% (5/6) of these studies showing improvements in mental well-being compared with 20% (1/5) and 25% (3/12), respectively. Depression was the most frequently investigated and improved outcome with 70% (7/10) of the studies showing a significant improvement in depression after the intervention, whereas other outcomes showed more varied results. Quality was poor, with 96% (22/23) of the studies receiving a weak global score, mostly for issues related to selection bias because most of the studies (16/23, 70%) used a convenience sampling of university students.

Conclusions:This review provides some evidence that social media use interventions are effective in improving mental well-being, especially for depression and when using therapy-based interventions. Further experimental and longitudinal research is needed with representative samples to investigate who may benefit most from social media use interventions. This will help to develop guidance and recommendations for policy makers and clinicians on how best to manage problematic social media use.