Causal Effects of Social Media Use on Self-esteem, Mindfulness, Sleep and Emotional Well-being: A Social Media Restriction Study

The question whether social media use (SMU) has a causal influence on mental health sparks a lot of interest. Empirical research to date shows no consensus on the causal effects of SMU on well-being. Therefore, the present study tested if experimentally induced restrictions in SMU led to improvements in well-being outcomes. After a 2-week baseline phase, participants (Mage = 21.42 years) were randomly assigned to an experimental (N = 35) or a passive control (N = 32) condition. Participants in the experimental condition were asked to limit their SMU to a maximum of 30 minutes (divided across their preferred apps) per day for 2 consecutive weeks, while participants in the control condition were instructed to continue their SMU as usual. After the intervention phase, participants in both conditions were followed up for 2 weeks during which all restrictions were removed. During the experiment, participants reported on their self-esteem, mindfulness, sleep, and emotional well-being. Results indicate a main effect of time for most outcomes, but induced SMU restriction did not moderate these effects. In conclusion, this study found no benefits from a temporary social media reduction on mental well-being.