Reducing Social Media Use Decreases Depression Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

TL;DR

Reducing social media use can help lower depression symptoms, according to a review of 10 studies.

Contribution

This study provides a meta-analysis confirming that limiting social media use reduces depressive symptoms.

Findings

Reducing social media use significantly decreases depression symptoms with an effect size of g = 0.25.

There was significant heterogeneity across studies, with 47% variability due to true effect differences.

Interventions reducing use had twice the effect of abstinence interventions, but the difference was not significant.

Abstract

The association between social media use and depression found in correlational research has prompted widespread concern regarding the consequences of social media use. In response to this evidence, experimental interventions have been used to evaluate whether lowering social media use affects depression. This meta-analysis synthesised results of 10 randomized controlled trials (N = 1491) to assess the effect of limiting or refraining from social media use on severity of depressive symptoms. Studies were included if they were randomized control trials involving reducing or eliminating use of social media for a period of time. The results indicate that reducing social media use significantly decreases depressive symptoms, with an effect size of g = 0.25, 95% CI [0.10, 0.41], p < 0.001, after adjusting for publication bias. Significant heterogeneity was found between studies, with I2 indicating that 47% of the variability in effect sizes across studies was due to heterogeneity of true effect size rather than random error. Although interventions aimed at reducing use of social media had twice the depression effect size of interventions aimed at abstinence from social media, the difference was not significant. Two other potential moderators of effect size, intervention length and number of social networks included, were also nonsignificant. Overall, this meta-analysis suggests that limiting social media use is an effective way to reduce symptoms of depression. However, more studies with good research methods are needed to evaluate this conclusion. Also, further research is needed to evaluate long-term effects of limiting or refraining from social media use.

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