The impact of social media interventions on mental well-being: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: There is some evidence that problematic social media use is related to poorer mental well-being. To improve users’ mental well-being, social media interventions, e.g., abstinence from social media, have been recommended. However, there is limited understanding of their effectiveness. This systematic review aimed to synthesise literature on the effectiveness of social media interventions for improving mental well-being. METHODS: Three databases were searched (2004-June 2022). Experimental studies evaluating the impact of social media interventions on mental well-being in adults were included. Outcomes such as depression, and loneliness, were included. A narrative synthesis was completed to summarise effectiveness by outcomes and intervention type. The Quality Assessment Tool was used to measure quality. RESULTS: Of 2,785 results, 23 studies were included for analysis. Many studies (9/23, 39%) found improvements in mental well-being, seven (7/23, 30%) found mixed effects and seven found no effect on mental well-being. Therapy-based interventions, that used techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, were more effective (83%, 5/6 of studies showing benefit) than limiting use (20%, 1/5) or full abstinence from social media (25%, 3/12). Depression was the most improved outcome with 70% (7/10) of studies showing a significant improvement after the intervention. Quality was poor, 96% (22/23) of studies received a weak score, mostly due to selection bias, as most used convenience sampling of university students (16/23, 70%). CONCLUSIONS: This review provides some evidence that social media interventions are effective in improving mental well-being, especially for depression and when using therapy-based techniques. Further research with representative samples is needed to understand who may benefit most from social media interventions. This will help to develop guidance for policymakers and clinicians on how to manage problematic social media use. KEY MESSAGES: • The relationship between social media and mental well-being is complex and experimental evidence overall does not show conclusively that less time spent on social media improves mental well-being. • Reflecting on why/when social can become problematic for our mental health can improve mental well-being, so policies/public health interventions should focus on how we use social media.