Key Takeaways

A one-week social media break reduced anxiety, depression and sleep problems for some

Young adults with worse depression saw the biggest improvements

Experts say social media breaks may help some folks, but won’t work for everyone

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For many young adults, social media is where life happens: Friendships, news, stress, all rolled into a single screen.

But a new study suggests that stepping away, even for just one week, may help ease anxiety , depression and sleep problems.

Researchers tracked 295 young adults ages 18 to 24 who agreed to limit their social media use for seven days. Each participant was paid $150 to be in the study.

For the study, these young adults shrunk their average screen time from just under two hours a d

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