Scroll less, connect more: New study shows how to make social media work

VANCOUVER, December 2: We all know that using social media is considered bad for your health. A social media-heavy diet is linked to anxiety, depression, and FOMO (fear of missing out). Even internal search data from Meta, the company behind Instagram and Facebook, agrees.
However, over the past decade, social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. It’s hard to imagine life without it.
Young adults are particularly vulnerable: 80 percent of young adults use social media daily, spending nearly three hours per day. For many, scrolling through social media is the first thing they do when they wake up and the last thing before going to bed.
On the positive side, social media can also help people connect with friends and family. This is especially true for people with minority or stigmatized identities: social media can help them find a community of similar people, who may live far away.
So what should we do? Is the only solution for us to abandon social media altogether? Or is it possible for us to learn to use social media more intelligently?
A new study from our lab, the Promoting Equitable, Affirming Relations Lab at the University of British Columbia, suggests that not only is it possible, but also that intentional use of social media can actually improve well-being . The study results highlight the potential for social media to be a beneficial tool rather than a source of stress.
Many digital self-control tools, such as lockouts and timers, exist to help us reduce our social media consumption, but we wondered: what if simply using media differently could maximize their positive aspects and minimize their negative aspects in our lives?
Use social media for maximum benefit
In our six-week study, 393 Canadian young adults with mental health symptoms and concerns about the impact of social media on their lives were divided into three groups:
? A control group that continued their usual routines
? Abstinence group urged to ditch social media altogether
? An educational program group that has been coached in intentional use
The educational program showed people how to avoid the negatives – like feeling pressured to look or act a certain way online – and instead focus on the good things.
To do this, we favored quality rather than quantity in interactions on social networks. Participants built a healthier online environment by deactivating or unfollowing accounts that triggered envy or negative self-comparisons, and prioritizing close friendships.
Rather than passively scrolling, they were encouraged to actively interact with their friends by commenting or sending direct messages — a behavior that tends to deepen meaningful connections while helping users feel more socially supported.
We also asked all participants to track their screen time and tell us about their well-being.
The study found that participants who took a break from social media or participated in an educational program on intentional social media use saw an improvement in their mental health.
Feel less alone
Our results are promising. Those who took a break experienced fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, while those who participated in the educational program felt less alone and experienced less FOMO.
Our educational program has also inadvertently impacted social media habits. Although participants in this program did not reduce their social media use as much as those in the abstinence group, they still reduced their screen time compared to the control group.
We suspect that as they began to use social media more intentionally, they removed the type of use that made them feel bad, but increased or maintained the type of use that made them feel bad. GOOD.
Stop social comparisons
Both groups – those who took a break and those who completed the educational program – showed a decrease in their tendency to compare themselves to others online. This is a big step forward since social comparison is often presented as the root of all evil arising from the use of social media.
Overall, both approaches reduced unhealthy social media habits and improved well-being. Using social media in an intentional, connected way could be just as beneficial, and potentially more sustainable for some, than quitting altogether.
Our findings suggest that with the right guidance, young adults can curate a more positive experience, using social media to support their mental health instead of harming it.
Looking for real relationships
At the Promoting Equitable and Affirming Relationships Lab, we study how young people form supportive and lasting relationships, both online and in person.
Part of our work is discovering and understanding how social media can be leveraged to help people find community. Conversely, we are exploring ways to avoid the potential negative effects of the online sphere.
Even though our study offers some solutions, the big question remains: how can we continue to foster supportive and authentic connections in an increasingly digital world?
Bottom line? Social media is here to stay and we need to find the healthiest ways to live with it.
Through our research, we hope to start a conversation about how we can make social media a tool for true connection, rather than a source of stress, for a healthier online experience. (The Conversation) (Agencies)