While experts warn of the addictive nature of social networks, more and more people are looking for ways to escape them. Proof of this is the 60 percent jump in Google searches for "social media detox" in recent months.
Think you spend too much time on your mobile phone? The average American adult spends more than two hours a day on social media, while teenagers spend twice as much on TikTok and Instagram platforms.
Effects of social media on the brain
Concerns about addiction have been highlighted by Oxford University Press, which has chosen "brain rot" as its 2024 word of the year.
Ana Lembke, addiction medicine expert and author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, explains that people can become addicted to digital media just like they can become addicted to drugs. Based on what we know about how drugs and alcohol affect the brain, it can be concluded that a similar process takes place when we look at social media, with each "like", comment or cute video triggering a wave of dopamine.
However, our brains are designed to maintain an overall balance of dopamine, which Lembke describes as a see-saw mechanism. Endlessly watching social media eventually upsets the balance. Over time, this can lead us to a state of "dopamine depletion", where we need more time online to get back to feeling "normal".
"A break from this social media-induced dopamine cycle can allow the brain to reset reward pathways," says Lembke, adding that it allows us to stop the compulsive over-consumption that leads to "brain rot."
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to digital detox, says Paige Coyne, co-author of a study on the health effects of a two-week social media detox on 31 young adults, reports N! Zagreb.
"Excessive use of social media can mean different things to different people," he says, adding that it's crucial to set realistic goals for reducing habitual social media use, National Geographic writes.
Easier than expected
To help reset the brain's reward system, Lembke recommends abstaining for as long as you can—ideally at least four weeks. But even short vacations have been shown to be effective in improving mental health. A study of 65 girls aged 10 to 19 showed that a three-day break from social media improved their self-confidence.
Whether you decide to stop using social media for a few weeks or limit your daily use for a while, you'll likely find that the first few days are the hardest to get through, notes Sarah Woodruff, co-author of The Social Media Detox.
Cravings or anxiety are expected emotions as the brain adjusts to lower dopamine levels. Eventually the cravings will stop and it will be easier to get through the day without constant doses of dopamine. "As the days went by, people found that detoxing was easier than they expected," Woodruff said.
Setting boundaries
By the end of the two-week detox, where social media use was limited to 30 minutes a day, most participants reported significant mental health benefits such as greater life satisfaction, reduced stress levels and better sleep compared to before.
In a study of teenage girls, Tomi-Ann Roberts, a professor of psychology at the University of Colorado, asked participants to contact each other through a WhatsApp group during each day of the experiment for support. "We found that the girls had a sense of disconnection and a fear of missing out, but being able to share their experience with others made them feel less alone," Woodruff said.
"We can use that time to take a step back and become more aware of what we're doing on social media and whether it's benefiting us," says Woodruff.
After a detox period, it's important to set boundaries to avoid returning to compulsive overeating, says Lembke.
"I recommend creating physical or mental barriers between us and social media, such as not keeping our phones in the bedroom or turning off notifications," adds Lembke.
"Healthy sources of dopamine usually come from previous work," explains Lembke. These are things like playing an instrument or cooking.
"When we engage in activities that require our attention, our brain will release dopamine over time, keeping the overall balance under control," she explained.
Experts recommend planning a social media detox period throughout the year to maintain a balanced social media use.
"We can't completely free ourselves from social media, but occasional breaks can help us reset and evaluate how we use these platforms and how we feel about them," Vudraf concluded, writes N1 Zagreb.
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