Can social media cause mental illness? Research results are mixed. Learn more about the study findings and ways to improve your experience with social media.

The World Happiness Report and several meta-analyses link social media use to unhappiness and mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance use. Conversely, separate studies point out that an important factor is context – who uses social media and how.

For example, a person with depression and anxiety can feel worse when they encounter cyberbullying or videos of police brutality. Therefore, the type of content can interact with pre-existing conditions and worsen symptoms.

Do you feel uneasy after scrolling? Let’s see what options you have to improve your experience and feel better.

1. Turn Off & Detox

• Notifications

If you have troubles with your focus and feel depleted, try turning off notifications and using airplane mode from time to time. A study by Fournier et al. (2026) shows that notifications about messages, likes, shares, and posts hijack attention and steal seven seconds of your precious time each!

Frequent phone use and a high number of notifications determine how easily a person gets distracted. On top of that, people with higher anxiety are more likely to experience stronger distraction, as they tend to focus more on uncertain or unclear notifications.

To improve your focus, turn off unnecessary notifications and use silent mode often.

• Detox

If turning off notifications is not enough for you, try a one-week social media detox. A study by Calvert et al. (2025) showed that this intervention improved symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia in participants. The effects were stronger in people who had worse symptoms at the start of the study.

📚 Read next: Unplug From Social Media in Four Steps 

2. Curate

Yes, AI is curating your feed, but you can still influence what the algorithm shows you. The goal of the algorithm is to engage you for as long and as often as possible, so the feed tries to hold your attention.

Think about what you would like to see more of in your feed. Maybe it is Spanish lessons or artists, beauty bloggers, or health professionals. To give the algorithm a hint, use search to find a few suitable posts or accounts.

For example, Instagram artists @nathanwpylestrangeplanet and @theycantalkcomics could make you smile. For inspiration, follow @yeahliya, @ystreetstudio, and @thisiscolossal. If you are into weird stuff, take a look at @chrissunk.

When the content you want to see more of appears in your feed, save it and share it with friends to keep guiding the algorithm.

Over time, your feed and For You page will change to reflect what you consciously want to see there. Maybe it can become a safe nook for you to retreat to.

📚 Read next: Feeling drained by the news? Let’s fix it together 

3. Set It Right

Go to the settings of your favorite social media platform and find “Content preferences.” On Instagram, you can control how much sensitive and political content you see and add specific words and phrases so the algorithm will not show you certain posts.

If you use TikTok, there are similar settings where you can manage topics, filter keywords, and reset your feed.

Continue Reading:

• Notifications Hijack Attention

• What Media Multitasking Does to Your Brain

• Do Nothing

Scientific and Other Sources:

• Key findings about Americans and mental health, Pew Research Center

• U.S. Mental Health Ratings Continue to Worsen, Gallup

• Impact of social media on mental health among adults, Zenodo

• Instagram worse for mental health than WhatsApp, global study finds,The  Guardian

• Even without social media, phones have a subtle, damaging effect on our mental health, The Guardian

• Attention hijacked: How social media notifications disrupt cognitive processing, Fournier et al.(2026), Computers in Human Behavior

• Social Media Detox and Youth Mental Health, Calvert et al.(2025), JAMA Network Open

• Social Identity, Social Media Use, and Mental Health in Adults: Investigating the Mediating Role of Cyberbullying Experiences and the Moderating Effects of Gender and Age, Psychology Research and Behavior Management

• Study Finds Mental Health Benefit to One-Week Social Media Break, The New York Times

• The effects of social media restriction: Meta-analytic evidence from randomized controlled trials, SSM Mental Health

• A systematic review and meta-analysis of social media's influence on mental health, family functioning, and visual content

---

With care,

Science Writer Vlada Sukhanovskaya & Normotim Team 💜

FAQs

1. Can social media cause mental illness?
Research findings are mixed. Social media use is associated with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance use, and lower well-being, but its effects depend on the person, the content they see, and how they use each platform.

2. Why can social media make some people feel worse?
Harmful content, cyberbullying, disturbing videos, and constant comparison may worsen existing symptoms of anxiety or depression. People with pre-existing mental health conditions may be more sensitive to these experiences.

3. Can turning off notifications improve focus?
Turning off unnecessary notifications may reduce distractions and make it easier to concentrate. Silent mode or airplane mode can also help create periods without interruptions.

4. Does taking a break from social media improve mental health?
The article cites research suggesting that a one-week social media detox may reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia, particularly among people who have more severe symptoms before the break.

5. How can I make my social media feed healthier?
Search for content you want to see, follow useful or positive accounts, and save or share relevant posts. You can also use content-preference settings to limit sensitive or political content, filter keywords, manage topics, or reset your feed.

Summary

Research on social media and mental health is mixed, and its effects depend on who uses it, how it is used, and what content appears in the feed. Notifications, cyberbullying, disturbing content, and frequent phone use may increase distraction or worsen existing mental health symptoms. The article recommends turning off notifications, trying a short social media detox, actively curating your feed, and adjusting content settings to reduce unwanted material and create a more positive online experience.