WEBVTT

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I feel like I'm always on my phone, but still feel really

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lonely. Would it help if I used it less?

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About one in four youth report feeling lonely often or

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always. At the same time, nearly half say they are on social

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media almost constantly. Social media was designed to help

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people feel connected, yet large studies link heavier

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use with more loneliness and isolation.

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The problem is that most of the research doesn't tell us whether social

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media use contributes to loneliness, or whether young

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people who feel lonely are simply more likely to spend more time

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online. So we wanted to know if social media use

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itself plays a direct role in loneliness among youth with

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anxiety or depression, and whether psychosocial factors

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like gender or frequent social comparison influence

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who might benefit most.

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We ran a three-week-long randomized control trial with young

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people from ages 17 to 25 who are already

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experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression.

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One group limited their social media use to about an hour per day,

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while the other group continued as usual.

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We tracked social media use directly from participants'

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smartphones and measured loneliness before and after.

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Some of our results were expected.

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Those who reduced social media use significantly reduced feelings of

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loneliness compared to those who used their phones as normal.

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One possible explanation is behavioral displacement.

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When time spent on social media decreases, this makes

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room for more in-person connection with friends and family, which can

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help reduce feelings of loneliness.

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What surprised us was what didn't matter.

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Previous research has suggested that girls may be more negatively

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affected by social media, and that youth who frequently compare

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themselves to others online may be more vulnerable to

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loneliness.

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But our results found no differences based on gender or

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by how much young people compared themselves to others.

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Reducing social media use helped all youth with anxiety or

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depression feel less lonely, regardless of any other

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factors.

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Loneliness is a complex issue, and spending less time using social

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media is not a standalone solution.

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But our findings suggest that it may be a meaningful and accessible

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component of a more comprehensive, personalized approach to

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supporting mental health.

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Future research will explore the best amount of social media use

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reduction, how different types of social comparison influence

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outcomes, and how limiting social media can be sustained over

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time.

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So what can you do if you're feeling lonely or isolated?

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Try disconnecting from social media and connecting with friends.