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Cutting down on social media use for a week can significantly reduce mental health symptoms in young adults, according to a new study. This study, published in JAMA Open Network differs from most research on social media, which tends to rely on participants self-reporting about their phone time and other habits, as NPR’s Rhitu Chatterjee reports.
To get a more objective measure, researchers installed an app on young adults’ phones that tracked their social media use, step counts and sleep. For two weeks, participants used social media as normal. After completing a survey about their mental health symptoms, most participants opted into a one-week “detox.”
During the detox week, the young adults' daily social media use dropped from about 2 hours to about 30 minutes each day. At the end of the week, they also reported experiencing fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improved sleep.
"It usually takes eight to 12 weeks of intensive psychotherapy to see those kinds of reductions in mental health symptoms," says psychologist Mitch Prinstein, chief of strategy and integration at the American Psychological Association. "So if you can get those with just one week of change in behavior, wow!"
Here are some strategies you can try to cut down on social media use for yourself, or to help your kid do so.
📱Make it harder to access social apps
Removing apps from the home screen and disabling notifications from social media apps can help, says psychiatrist Amir Afkhami. Also, try logging out of an app or platform after you use it. Encountering that login screen when you open it up next time might be enough to deter you.
🚶 Stroll more, scroll less
If you gravitate to social media when you’re feeling bored, Afkhami recommends replacing screen time with physical activity like a walk or a run. It can be harder to motivate yourself to head outside instead of simply picking up your phone. But he says over time, his patients actually come to prefer physical activity to scrolling because they get a bigger dopamine surge. (And if you crave content, you can tune in to a podcast on your jaunt!)
🥱 De-techify bed time
At least one hour of tech-free time before bed can help mentally disconnect from the online world and promote adequate, restful sleep, according to recommendations published earlier this year by the World Psychiatric Association. Try designating your bedroom a “tech-free zone” and charging your phone away from your bed or in another room.
Find out more.
Plus: A break from your smartphone can reboot your mood. Here's how long you need |
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Gifts for every public radio nerd on your list
The most wonderful time of the year? Uhhhhh, sure. Maybe after you’ve crossed everyone off your shopping list. To help you get to the “wonderful” part faster, check out our 2025 holiday guide. We’ve broken out our most popular items into categories for different types of people we know you know, from the music head to the minimalist to the playful activist.
The proverbial ribbon on top? Every purchase you make supports the local journalism you love. So when you gift others, you’re also gifting your favorite NPR station. |
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If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter or just follow health science news in general, you know that good health comes from a mix of factors, including strong social connections, effective stress management, and quality sleep. It turns out even some of the oldest among us are embracing an evidence-based approach to wellness, as NPR’s Allison Aubrey reports.
Habits that are gaining popularity among younger adults – like strength training and meditation – are also taking off among centenarians, according to a survey of 100 one hundred-year-olds from UnitedHealthcare. Forty-six percent said they participate in activities to strengthen muscles at least once a week – up from 34% when the centenarian survey was conducted in 2015. Almost 30% say they still work in their garden.
The survey also found centenarians are keeping up with the times in other ways: Forty percent play video games regularly, nearly half say they use social media to follow friends and family, and just over a quarter say they’ve tried using an AI chatbot to ask a question.
While factors like genetics, wealth and health care access also influence longevity, "The core of successful aging is the lifestyle choices we make every day," says Dr. Jonathan Rosand, co-founder of the McCance Center for Brain Health at Mass General Brigham in Boston. Rossand says centenarians in 2025 are “putting a lot of cognitive energy into taking care of themselves.”
Several centenarians expressed a positive outlook about progress in technology and society over their lifetimes. “I think the biggest sign is how much more open people are about mental health,” one respondent wrote in response to a survey question about positive indicators of change. For so long, people suffered in silence, but now, it's becoming something we can talk about.”
Read more about the health and wellness of folks who’ve lived for a century.
Plus: Hearing aids may boost longevity. But only if used regularly, study finds |
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Ana Caroline de Lima/The Everyday Projects |
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All the best,
Andrea Muraskin and your NPR Health editors |
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