A recent, comprehensive study suggests that stepping back from social media can yield genuine benefits. Conducted by Stanford University, the research focused on the impact of disconnecting from Facebook and Instagram during a significant period—the weeks leading up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Involving approximately 36,000 active users of these platforms, the study revealed notable improvements in emotional well-being when individuals took a break from their social feeds. Participants, each spending at least 15 minutes daily on these apps, were divided into two distinct groups to observe the effects.
One segment, comprising about 27% of the users, was incentivized to deactivate their accounts for a full six-week duration. In contrast, the remaining users acted as a control group, logging off for just one week. This strategic division aimed to provide clear insights into the emotional shifts experienced by those who stayed offline longer.
The findings were telling. Those who refrained from Facebook for the extended period reported a significant boost in their emotional state, highlighting a stark contrast to the shorter break endured by the control group. This research underscores the potential mental health benefits of stepping away from the digital world, even if temporarily.
The results showed a clear lift for Facebook users who stayed off the platform for longer.
Their emotional well-being significantly improved compared to the control group.
Instagram users also saw a bump, but smaller.
Their emotional state rose very slightly, though that result did not hold up under stricter statistical tests.
Facebook’s biggest gains showed up among users over 35, undecided voters and those without college degrees.
For Instagram, the strongest improvements were seen among women ages 18 to 24.
Users did not trade scrolling for real-world activity. Most of the time freed up from Instagram, and much of time on Facebook, was redirected to other apps — suggesting their boost in mood came from the platforms themselves, not less screen time.
Even so, the study stands out as one of the largest experiments of its kind and the first to isolate Instagram’s effects.
YouTube and Instagram recently got slapped with a massive $6 million bill after a Los Angeles jury decided their addictive apps were to blame for a young woman’s mental health spiral.
