It’s not news that social media use and mental health are closely intertwined – especially for young women. While platforms like Instagram were initially designed for connection and expression, concerns have grown over time over how they may be impacting young people’s mental health.
A study by a group of academics and Meta researchers offers some of the clearest evidence yet: taking a break from Instagram can meaningfully improve emotional wellbeing – especially for young women.
The study was carried out in 2020 as part of a broader research project looking at how Facebook and Instagram affect people’s lives. It was a collaboration between researchers at Meta (Instagram’s parent company) and academics from the University of Cambridge, the University of Chicago, and MIT – three globally respected universities.
Although some of the researchers were employed by Meta, the study design, data collection, and analysis involved independent academic oversight. All affiliations and potential conflicts of interest were openly declared, and the findings have been published as part of a wider peer-reviewed research effort. In short, while Instagram itself was involved, this is a serious and credible piece of research about impacts on young women’s mental health – and worth paying attention to.
What the study did
This was the largest-ever experimental study of the mental health effects of social media breaks. The researchers recruited over 15,500 Instagram users in the US, all of whom were spending at least 15 minutes per day on the platform. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups:
Treatment group: Deactivated Instagram for six weeks
Control group: Deactivated for just the first week of those six weeks
During this time, researchers measured participants’ emotional state through three simple but reliable questions: how often they felt happy, anxious, and depressed in the previous four weeks.
Participants were paid for taking part, and the data was tracked both through self-report and passive monitoring of smartphone use.
What the study found
On average, deactivating Instagram improved participants’ emotional wellbeing by 0.041 standard deviations – a small but statistically significant improvement. More strikingly:
For women aged 18–24, the improvement was 0.111 standard deviations – nearly three times higher than the overall average. This improvement is 40% as effective as the average psychological therapy for young women’s mental health, according to comparisons with a meta-analysis of 419 therapeutic interventions. The emotional uplift from taking a break was mostly due to increased feelings of happiness and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression.
While the improvements for all users were modest, they were especially strong among the most vulnerable demographic: young women, whose mental health has been declining for over a decade.
How big are these changes, really?
The study offers several ways to interpret what “0.041 standard deviations” actually means:
It’s roughly equivalent to moving a person from the 50th to the 51.6th percentile in emotional wellbeing. In real terms, it’s like 3.8% more people saying they feel happy “often” rather than “sometimes”. Compared to a worrying national decline of 0.37 standard deviations in wellbeing among young people between 2008 and 2022, this Instagram break accounts for about 17% of that change for women aged 18–24 .
Put simply, the mental health boost from a short Instagram break is not trivial. For many young women, it’s a meaningful step toward feeling better.
Where does the time go?
One concern is whether quitting Instagram just means swapping one app for another. The study looked into that too:
All of the time freed up from Instagram was spent on other smartphone apps, not offline activities like sport, reading, or socialising. Popular substitutes included TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitter. Even so, users still reported better mental health. This suggests that Instagram’s unique features – image-heavy content, social comparison, influencer culture – may play a more harmful role than other platforms.
This also implies that not all screen time is equal. The type of content and how it makes users feel may matter more than the total amount of time spent online.
Why does Instagram affect young women more?
There are a few reasons researchers believe young women’s mental health is particularly vulnerable to Instagram’s negative effects:
Social comparison: Instagram encourages users to present idealised versions of their lives, which can intensify body image issues, FOMO, and low self-esteem.
Influencer culture: Young women are often targeted by curated lifestyle and beauty content, which can lead to unrealistic expectations.
Emotional engagement: Women may be more emotionally invested in online interactions, making negative feedback or exclusion more damaging.
Algorithmic pressure: Instagram’s algorithms prioritise “engaging” content, which can skew what users see and how they feel about themselves.
These factors combine to make Instagram not just a place for social connection – but also one where young women may regularly feel judged, excluded, or inadequate.
What about therapy?
The study compares its findings to therapy with striking results:
The average psychological intervention improves emotional wellbeing by 0.27 standard deviations. A six-week Instagram break improves wellbeing by 0.041 standard deviations – about 15% of therapy’s effect on average, or 40% in the case of young women aged 18–24 .
No one is suggesting Instagram breaks should replace therapy. But they can be a useful tool – particularly when therapy isn’t accessible, or while waiting for support.
Action for parents and teachers
This research offers some clear, evidence-backed takeaways for those guiding young people:
1. Talk openly about Instagram
Start a conversation about what young people see on Instagram, how it makes them feel, and whether they’ve ever considered taking a break. Keep the tone curious, not judgemental.
2. Suggest short breaks
A six-week break led to meaningful improvements in wellbeing. Suggest trying a one-week trial and reflecting on how it feels. Or start with a day, if they feel a week is just too hard.
3. Focus on girls and young women
While boys and older users weren’t strongly affected, young women saw a significant emotional benefit. If you’re seeing signs of low mood, anxiety or social withdrawal, consider whether Instagram might be part of the picture.
4. Don’t just reduce screen time – improve it
Encourage swapping Instagram for more neutral or creative digital activities (e.g., art, journaling apps, podcasts), not just deleting the app without alternatives.
Possible limitations
While the study is robust, there are some caveats:
Only US users were studied, so results may differ elsewhere.
Participants were paid to deactivate Instagram, so their motivation may not match everyday users.
Emotional state was measured using self-report surveys, which may not capture all psychological changes.
Effects were measured during an election period, which may have amplified emotional volatility.
Still, this is the most rigorous evidence to date showing that Instagram breaks help, particularly for the group that many parents and educators worry about most. And some more recent research has found similar results
A study conducted by Griffith University in Australia in 2014 examined the effects of different social media detox strategies on young women aged 17–35. The research found that all three approaches – a seven-day break from Instagram and TikTok, a 30-minute daily limit on photo-based apps, and the removal of appearance-focused content from feeds – led to improvements in wellbeing and body image. Notably, the feed-cleansing approach yielded the most significant enhancement in appearance satisfaction, while the 30-minute limit notably boosted overall wellbeing.
The study (and the subsequent Australian one) is a reminder that social media isn’t just a passive part of children’s and young people’s lives – it can actively shape how they feel, think, and relate to themselves and others. For young women especially, Instagram can become a double-edged sword: a place to connect and express, but also one that builds self-doubt and anxiety.
But even a short break can make a difference to young women’s mental health. As parents and teachers, understanding this – and helping young people to understand it too – might be one of the simplest, most effective mental health interventions available.
Resources:
Van Agteren et al. (2021) meta-analysis on psychological interventions
Office of the Surgeon General (2023) Advisory on social media and youth mental health