Does taking a break from social media improve wellbeing?

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1. 1

   To detox or not to detox? The impact of different approaches to social media detox strategies on body image and wellbeing.

   Body image (Seekis et al.)Published Jan 10, 2025Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “A sample of 175 women aged 17-35 (M = 22.71) was randomized into one of the three detox conditions or social media use as usual. Participants completed assessments of self-objectification, appearance satisfaction, body appreciation, media pressure, and wellbeing at baseline, day 3 (check-in) and day 7 (posttest). Significant interactions showed that appearance satisfaction improved for all three detox groups from baseline to posttest, but no changes occurred for the control group. Appearance satisfaction also increased from day 3 to posttest in the Insta/TikTok cleanse group. Wellbeing improved from baseline to posttest for the daily time-cap group. Increases in wellbeing also occurred from day 3 to day 7 for the Insta/TikTok break and daily time-cap groups. No further interactions were found. Findings shed light on the varying effects of three 7-day social media detox strategies for promoting appearance satisfaction and overall wellbeing. Cleansing Instagram and TikTok feeds of appearance-focused content emerged as a particularly promising approach for improving appearance satisfaction.”

2. 2

   From screens to serenity: evaluating the effect of digital detox on mental and physiological health.

   BMC medical education (Farrukh et al.)Published Dec 29, 2025Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Beyond statistical significance, practical significance was observed: psychometric scores shifted across standard clinical categories (e.g., PSS high to moderate; GAD-7 moderate to mild), HRV increases indicated greater overall heart-rate variability and improved autonomic balance, and modest blood-pressure changes reflected favorable autonomic balance. Qualitative themes (e.g., mental reset, regaining academic control, reconnecting offline) converged with these changes.ConclusionA structured, low-cost 2-week digital detox, particularly when paired with alternative activities, was associated with psychological well-being and key physiological markers in medical students. Limitations include the short intervention duration, two-site sample, reliance on self-report/app analytics for compliance, and absence of blinding. Digital-use hygiene paired with brief offline activities may offer a scalable student well-being strategy, especially in resource-limited settings; multi-site factorial trials with longer follow-up are warranted.Trial registrationClinical trial number not applicable.”

3. 3

   Disconnecting to recover: how digital detox tourism shapes attention restoration and psychological well-being through perceived environmental restorativeness and mindfulness.

   Frontiers in psychology (Zhang)Published Sep 3, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “The study examined how digital detox tourism affects attention restoration and subjective well-being through perceived environmental restorativeness and state mindfulness. Latent variable structural equation modeling showed that detox exposure significantly increased perceived restorativeness, which in turn enhanced subjective attention, life satisfaction, and positive affect through mindfulness; all three serial mediation paths were confirmed by bootstrapping, and the association between disconnection intensity and restorative appraisal held across the sample while it did not hold within the detox condition alone. The study further revealed a mechanistic asymmetry between cognitive and affective well-being, in that life satisfaction was driven both by the direct effect of restorativeness and by its indirect effect through mindfulness, whereas positive affect depended almost entirely on mindfulness. This study carries attention restoration theory into a setting of dual digital-physical disconnection and offers a refined test of the "mainly through mindfulness" proposition within the bounds of a single intervention context.”

4. 4

   Digital media use and mental health (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 1, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Researchers in psychology, sociology, anthropology, and medicine have studied the relationship between digital media use and mental health since the mid-1990s, following the rise of the internet and mobile communication technologies. There has been a lot of research that has examined patterns of excessive or problematic use, sometimes described as "digital dependencies," which can vary across cultures and societies. At the same time, some studies have highlighted potential benefits of moderate digital media use, including supporting mental health or facilitating access to online support communities. Overall, the effect of digital media on mental health are complex and vary depending on individual, cultural, and platform-specific factors. The distinction between beneficial and excessive digital media use has not yet been clearly established. Few widely accepted diagnostic criteria exist for problematic or pathological use, although some experts have suggested that overuse may be related to underlying psychiatric disorders. Recommendations for safer media use for children and families have been proposed, but prevention and treatment strategies are not standardized.”

5. 5

   Stakeholder perspectives on digital wellbeing in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional survey.

   BMC public health (Alomairah et al.)Published Jul 14, 2025Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Participants reported both positive impacts (e.g., social connections, school/work performance) and negative impacts (e.g., sleep disruption, reduced physical activity) of digital media use. Efforts to regulate media use were reported by 72.8%, with strategies like deleting apps or digital detoxes. At least 50.0% of participants endorsed all proposed intervention approaches as likely effective for improving digital well-being, with educational programs for parents, school programs, and regulatory apps receiving over 75.0% support. Children and adolescents were seen as key target groups for these interventions.ConclusionsFindings from this diverse stakeholder sample suggest that digital well-being interventions in Saudi Arabia should prioritize youth, focusing on education-based approaches and apps for media regulation. Incorporating these perspectives can lead to culturally relevant interventions addressing the unique challenges of digital media use in Saudi Arabia. The generalizability of the findings may be limited due to sample size and potential overrepresentation of certain stakeholder groups.”