Leeds, (Zahid Anwar Mirza) — A new study has revealed that even one week of significantly reduced social media use can lead to notable improvements in young people’s mental health. In today’s world, social media has become the centre of life for many youths — a single screen offering communication with friends, news updates, and content that can trigger stress.

According to the research, taking a break from social media for just a week can help reduce anxiety, depression, and sleep-related issues. Researchers observed 295 participants aged 14 to 24 who reduced their daily screen time from about two hours to just 30 minutes.

After one week, a survey showed that symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia had decreased significantly — particularly among those who had severe depression prior to the study.

The study recorded a 16% reduction in anxiety symptoms, nearly 25% in depression, and about 14.5% in insomnia. However, the findings also showed that feelings of loneliness remained unchanged despite reduced social media usage.

Experts say that while limiting social media use is beneficial, it should not be considered the only or primary treatment for mental health conditions.