Tomi-Ann Roberts, professor of psychology, and Jason Weaver, associate professor of psychology and Asian Studies, studied the benefits of a short-term social media fast among pre-teen and teen dancers. Their resulting article, titled “‘Intermission!’ A short-term social media fast reduces self-objectification among pre-teen and teen dancers,” was published in the Elsevier ScienceDirect Journal, Body Image.
They found that when girls took three days away from social media, their body image and self-compassion improved.
Sixty-five girls between the ages of 10 and 19 rated measures of self-objectification, self-esteem, and self-compassion both prior to and following three days of abstaining from all social media. As part of the study, the girls participated in a group chat during the social media fast, where they reflected on their experiences. The messages showed that the girls had more positive mental states during the fast.
“For me, the most exciting part of the findings is how little intervention it takes to get fairly large effects. We found that you don’t have to quit social media to have a big impact on your well-being,” says Weaver.
The article cited a 2019 study, which found that on average, adolescent girls in the United States spend over two hours and 15 minutes a day on social media. The study also stated that 63% of U.S. teens report checking social media sites every day.
“As the college begins to address the very real crisis in student mental health, I think it’s important to consider the negative impact of the hours young people spend engaging through their devices with social media. Let’s imagine creative ways here at CC to support and enable one another to take breaks from our screens and enjoy one another’s company,” says Roberts.
