#2-65E. Decoding Digital Distress: Social Media Detox and Youth Mental Health (JAMA Netw Open, 2025)

Do you often encounter young patients struggling with anxiety or depression potentially linked to heavy social media use? This remote cohort study by Calvert and colleagues utilized digital phenotyping and objective app usage data in young adults (aged 18-24) to rigorously assess the complex link between digital engagement and mental health outcomes. The findings confirm that problematic engagement—particularly negative social comparison and addictive use—rather than the sheer quantity of screen time, is most strongly associated with greater symptom severity across depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Crucially, a voluntary one-week social media detox intervention significantly reduced symptoms of depression (by 24.8%), anxiety (by 16.1%), and insomnia (by 14.5%). These therapeutic gains were most pronounced among participants with moderately severe baseline symptoms. This research suggests that brief digital abstinence can be an effective, non-pharmacological strategy. However, the study design lacked a randomized control group, limiting definitive causal inference, and the absence of follow-up prevents conclusions regarding the durability of these positive effects. These findings offer practical clinical guidance for structuring digital behavior change recommendations for patients struggling with high symptom burdens.

Citation: Calvert E, Cipriani M, Dwyer B, et al. Social Media Detox and Youth Mental Health. JAMA Network Open. 2025. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.45245

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