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- Social media can make some people distracted, anxious, and depressed.
- Yet disconnecting completely can have both positive and negative effects, a new study found.
- Researchers say a "digital detox" won't leave you with any withdrawal symptoms.
Going on a full "digital detox" may not be all that beneficial after all, according to a new study by researchers at Durham University.
To find out whether "withdrawal symptoms" can really be linked to social media, they asked 51 students to avoid sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for a week. About a third of the participants had social-media behaviors that were defined as problematic.
Their mood was tracked for 15 days through a self-recorded survey.
During the week 86% "relapsed" at least once, but their average use time remained below 30 minutes.