Social media detox research leaves youth mental health questions unresolved, review finds

15 Oct 2026, 12:20 · Medical Xpress

by Ingrid Fadelli, Medical Xpress

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Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, are used daily by many adults and young people worldwide. Recently, these platforms have become the focus of numerous debates, with some governments considering or introducing legislation designed to restrict social media use among children and younger adolescents.

To support their proposed restrictions, some governments have cited studies suggesting that reducing social media use can improve mental health. Yet meta-analyses, which statistically combine the results of many studies, have produced mixed results, with reductions in social media use often yielding small, inconsistent or no detectable improvements in mental health and well-being.

Researchers at Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and other institutions recently reviewed 45 studies examining interventions to reduce social media use and their relevance to youth mental health.

Their paper, published in Communications Psychology, identifies widespread methodological limitations, highlighting the need for more reliable research assessing reductions or breaks in social media use.

"Clearly, social media can harm mental health, but we know very little about how or why this happens," John Torous, senior author of the paper, told Medical Xpress.

"Our recent review explored what we know about digital detoxes, which provide a clear view into what happens when we remove social media. Overall, we found that research quality is limited and that there is very little data on long-term outcomes. We need that type of data to design future systems and interventions that will cause less harm and be safer for everyone!"

Seven-domain methodological framework used to evaluate social media detox studies. Domains were organized into three higher-order components: concept-intervention alignment, design features relevant to causal inference, and policy relevance and reproducibility. The seven domains comprised A theoretical grounding, B intervention design and operationalization, C study design and causal architecture, D compliance monitoring, E outcome measurement, F sampling and generalizability, and G open science practices and reproducibility. Note. This framework is descriptive and intended to characterize methodological features across the existing literature rather than serve as a scoring rubric. Individual domains and components may differ in their relevance to specific research questions and thus should not be interpreted as equally weighted indicators of study quality Credit: Calvert et al. (Communications Psychology, 2026).

Reviewing earlier social media reduction studies

Torous and his colleagues screened 12,058 research records and selected 45 eligible studies examining interventions aimed at reducing social media use. The papers they reviewed were published between 2015 and 2025.

The researchers used 76 predefined questions designed to extract information from the papers. These questions were organized into seven broad areas of assessment.

"Our study supports the finding that social media can harm the mental health of some people, but may also be neutral for others, and in some cases could help," explained Torous. "This mixed picture is consistent with nearly a decade of research and suggests we still have much to learn about what creates risk versus benefit for some people but not others."

The team assessed the social media detox interventions used in the different studies they examined, trying to determine whether their design and implementation allowed researchers to reliably assess the effects of reducing social media use. They also looked at each study's design and the extent to which conclusions drawn by the authors could inform policymaking.

Guiding better research that could shape policymaking

The researchers found that many of the studies they analyzed had methodological issues, which could partly explain their mixed results. They also found that only one study had a participant sample with an average age below 16. This is a key limitation, as policies targeting children and younger adolescents require evidence relevant to those age groups.

Notably, the review does not establish that reducing social media use is ineffective. Instead, it suggests that the available evidence may be insufficient to support firm conclusions about its effects on youth mental health.

"Sadly, there is still much more we have to learn about why some people run into so much trouble with social media," said Torous. "It clearly seems to be personalized in that what is risky for one person may not be for another, so we can see that the future is going to have to be driven by personalized interventions and not simply broad bans."

This review paper offers insight that could guide future research investigating the possible effects of a reduction in social media use on the mental health of children and young people. Torous and his colleagues are already running a new study designed to overcome some of the limitations of earlier work.

"Our team is currently conducting a large digital detox study, using many of the lessons we learned from this review to ensure our work can have direct next steps for the field," added Torous.

Written for you by our author Ingrid Fadelli, edited by Sadie Harley, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.

Publication details

Elombe Calvert et al., Mapping the methodological landscape of social media detox intervention through a scoping review of evidence relevant to social media restriction policies, Communications Psychology (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s44271-026-00540-6.

Journal information: Communications Psychology

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Mental Health

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PsychiatryPsychology & Mental healthChildren's healthPediatrics Who's behind this story?

Ingrid Fadelli

Freelance journalist with BSc Psychology and MA International Journalism. Covers AI, robotics, neuroscience, and astrophysics since 2018. Full profile →

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →

Robert Egan

Bachelor's in mathematical biology, Master's in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language. Full profile →

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