Canadian scientists from Carleton University in Ottawa have proven that limiting the use of social networks improves the mental state of young people suffering from emotional stress. The study was published in the scientific journal Psychology of Popular Media (PPM).

The data show that about 20% of young people are diagnosed with mental health problems every year. Most often, we are talking about depression and anxiety.

To study the connection between mental health and the impact of social networks, the team selected 220 students aged 17 to 25. All of them had to regularly use social networks and have at least two symptoms of depression or anxiety disorder.

During the experiment, some of the volunteers had to reduce the time they spent viewing and communicating on social networks to one hour a day for 28 days. The other group did not receive such instructions and served as a control group.

The results showed that people in the first group had a decrease in symptoms of depression and anxiety by about 2.35 points compared to the control group.