The negative impacts of social media on mental health, including addiction, disruptions in sleep patterns, and effects on body image, have been well-documented. A recent study from York University’s Faculty of Health found that young women who took a break from social media for just one week experienced a significant boost in self-esteem and body image, particularly those vulnerable to thin-ideal internalization. Psychology Professor Jennifer Mills, co-author of the study, was surprised by the large effect sizes seen in the results, which are uncommon in psychology research due to the complexity of human behavior. The researchers hope these findings will help protect young people and push social media companies to give users more control over their interactions on these platforms.
Published in the journal Body Image, this study is believed to be the first of its kind to specifically examine the impact of social media breaks on body image. Mills, along with graduate researcher Lindsay Samson and undergraduate Olivia Smith, collaborated on the paper and recruited 66 first-year female undergraduates to participate. Half of the participants were instructed to continue using social media as normal, while the other half were asked to refrain from platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok for one week. Surprisingly, the students were enthusiastic about taking a social media break, and baseline surveys conducted before and after the experiment revealed significant improvements in self-esteem and body image among those who had abstained from social media.
Mills, who also serves as the director of clinical training for the graduate psychology program, noted that the modern social media landscape differs greatly from when she first began researching eating disorders and media effects. While traditional media like magazines had a finite amount of content that was released monthly, social media offers a constant stream of new and novel information that can trigger the brain’s reward system and perpetuate addictive behaviors. The study’s findings suggest that reducing time spent on social media may lead to positive outcomes by decreasing harmful behaviors such as making comparisons with others and creating space for healthier activities like socializing, sleeping, exercising, and spending time outdoors.
Moving forward, Mills and her team aim to explore how replacing social media with real-life interactions and activities can impact mental health and well-being. By understanding the potential secondary behaviors that may fill the void left by social media, researchers can gain a better understanding of the mechanisms through which social media breaks positively influence self-esteem and body image. The study’s results highlight the importance of promoting a balanced approach to social media use and engaging in real-life activities that contribute to overall mental health and well-being. By advocating for more agency in how individuals interact with social media platforms, researchers hope to empower users to make choices that support their mental health and self-esteem.
