A simple way to overcome loneliness has been found

Just one hour a day on social media — and loneliness retreats: an international team of scientists has found that reducing screen time noticeably helps young people suffering from anxiety and depression. The results of the study have been published in the Journal of Affective Disorders (JAD).

The experiment involved 219 students aged 17 to 25. All of them were already experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression and spent at least two hours a day on social media. The volunteers were divided into two groups: the first was asked to cut their social media time to one hour per day, while the second continued using apps as usual.

After just three weeks, the results were striking: participants who reduced their screen time felt lonely significantly less often. In the control group, the situation remained virtually unchanged.

"Although social media was designed to strengthen connections, high levels of use are often associated with increased loneliness," emphasized one of the study's authors, Gary Goldfield from the University of Ottawa.

The scientists offer a concrete explanation for this phenomenon — the so-called "displacement" effect. Hours spent scrolling through feeds simply replace face-to-face interaction. As soon as participants cut their time on apps, they freed up space for real-life connections — meeting with friends and communicating with family.

The mechanism of social comparison also plays its part: users constantly see "curated" versions of other people's lives, which fuels dissatisfaction with their own. Interestingly, in this experiment, even those who were particularly prone to comparing themselves with others received exactly the same positive effect from limiting social media as the rest of the participants.

A crucially important point: this is not about completely abandoning social media — only about a moderate reduction in time. At the same time, the study's authors honestly note that the observed effect was moderate and cannot replace proper treatment for anxiety and depressive disorders, but it can certainly serve as an effective supplement to it.