The Impact of Social Media Use Interventions on Mental Well-Being: Systematic Review

Abstract

Background There is some evidence that more social media use is related to poorer mental well-being and that social media use can become problematic when it starts to interfere with a person’s daily life and mental well-being. To address this issue and improve users’ mental well-being, social media use interventions (eg, abstinence from social media) have been developed and evaluated. However, there is limited understanding of the effectiveness of these interventions in improving mental well-being. Objective This systematic review aimed to synthesize the literature on the effectiveness of social media use interventions in improving mental well-being in adults. Methods A systematic search (January 1, 2004, to July 31, 2022) was completed across 3 databases in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Experimental studies evaluating the impact of social media use interventions on mental well-being in adults were included. Outcomes related to mental well-being, such as depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness, were included. A narrative synthesis without meta-analysis was completed to summarize the study characteristics and effectiveness by outcome and intervention type. The Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool was used to measure the quality of the studies. Results Of the 2785 studies identified through the systematic search, 23 (0.83%) were included in the analysis. Many of the included studies (9/23, 39%) found improvements in mental well-being, some (7/23, 30%) found mixed effects, and others (7/23, 30%) found no effect on mental well-being. Therapy-based interventions that used techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy were more effective than limiting use of social media or full abstinence from social media, with 83% (5/6) of these studies showing improvements in mental well-being compared with 20% (1/5) and 25% (3/12), respectively. Depression was the most frequently investigated and improved outcome with 70% (7/10) of the studies showing a significant improvement in depression after the intervention, whereas other outcomes showed more varied results. Quality was poor, with 96% (22/23) of the studies receiving a weak global score, mostly for issues related to selection bias because most of the studies (16/23, 70%) used a convenience sampling of university students. Conclusions This review provides some evidence that social media use interventions are effective in improving mental well-being, especially for depression and when using therapy-based interventions. Further experimental and longitudinal research is needed with representative samples to investigate who may benefit most from social media use interventions. This will help to develop guidance and recommendations for policy makers and clinicians on how best to manage problematic social media use.

Cohort profile: The Social media, smartphone use and Self-harm in Young People (3S-YP) study–A prospective, observational cohort study of young people in contact with mental health services

“…Scott et al (2019) [ 38 ] also suggested a possible link with sleep disturbance, which was similarly more prevalent among our cohort. The findings reported to date lend themselves to discussions around the development and evaluation of interventions to address problematic digital technology use in clinical youth populations, of which there is some evidence of effectiveness [ 61 ].…”

Exploring behaviour-intention gaps to explain low retention in a community-based video-conferencing intervention for depression: lessons for researchers using technology as interventions

“…In addition to this, there is an acknowledgement with the improvements in technology, for example, better broadband and network capabilities, that the internet can be a valuable self-help resource for those living with depression. A review by Plackett et al (2023) found evidence of a reduction in depressive symptoms when using social media interventions alongside therapy-based interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK, which produce evidence-based guidelines, recommend online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for those with mild depression (NICE, 2004).…”

“…In addition to this, there is an acknowledgement with the improvements in technology, for example, better broadband and network capabilities, that the internet can be a valuable self-help resource for those living with depression. A review by Plackett et al. (2023) found evidence of a reduction in depressive symptoms when using social media interventions alongside therapy-based interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).…”

The mediating effect of social network identity management on the relationship between personality traits and social media addiction among pre-service teachers

“…As the difference between virtual and real identities increases, it becomes difficult for individuals to have high expectations of themselves. Consequently, this conflict may cause dislike of the self and result in depression [ 51 ]. Therefore, considering the negative consequences of preferences in creating virtual identities, it is important to examine social network identity management.…”