One Challenge and Two Benefits of taking a break from social media by Grey Gibson

Fear of missing out (FOMO)

greygibson — 2025-06-11 11:57:29 UTC

The Fear of Missing Out is so strongly reported because users feel like what theyre seeing on social media they might be missing for example missing out on new inside jokes, missing opportunities to hang out with friends and just generally feeling "out of the loop"

Loneliness by FOMO

greygibson — 2025-06-11 12:03:19 UTC

People usually have FOMO because of a biological need to avoid loneliness. There is also a desire to belong with a group or just other people in general. Social media makes people feel lonely because it fosters an environment where anything can happen at any time so when people are not constantly on social media FOMO could grow.

The Vicious Cycle of FOMO

greygibson — 2025-06-11 12:08:45 UTC

Anxiety about missing out prompts more frequent checking, more frequent checking increases awareness of events being missed, and when people take breaks from social media they cannot check their socials at all causing an even more heightened sense of anxiety and more Fear of Missing out

FOMO and sleep disturbances

greygibson — 2025-06-11 12:15:28 UTC

The frantic checking of your phone before you go to bed makes it significantly harder for your body to get the proper sleep it needs as the blue light emitting from your phone wakes you up and people who reported not using their phones before bed were statistically less anxious and reported more hours of sleep

Blue light rays

greygibson — 2025-06-11 12:20:09 UTC

While all light can interfere with our circadian rhythms which are the 24-hour internal rhythms that control processes like the sleep-wake cycle, the blue light emitted from electronic screens has the greatest impact on sleep because they stimulate the brain to make us feel awake and alert. Less time on phones before sleep will improve your sleep cycle and will increase your chances to fall asleep faster

Too much time before bed

greygibson — 2025-06-11 12:23:56 UTC

People are spending all of the time that they are supposed to be taking to wind down and relax in order to fall asleep using their phones, checking social media, browsing and scrolling. So a social media Detox would be beneficial because less time on your phone statistically means you will get better sleep

Less Anxiety

greygibson — 2025-06-11 12:25:59 UTC

Social media users report higher levels of anxiety in comparison to people who don't use social media or use it significantly less so a social media detox or break would reduce anxiety in a person as they don't have to worry about constantly checking their phone.

Less Depression

greygibson — 2025-06-11 12:26:07 UTC

Some experts see the rise in depression as evidence that the connections social media users form electronically are less emotionally satisfying, leaving them feeling socially isolated

Less loneliness

greygibson — 2025-06-11 12:26:17 UTC

The loneliness epidemic on social media has been scaring the earlier generations as their kids are feeling more and more lonely and they cannot seem to say why. Social media makes people feel socially isolated and in a constant state of anxiety over being left out of excluded from "the group" causing FOMO and a social media detox will reduce this loneliness because face to face and real interactions will be placed at a higher value reducing FOMO and increasing general mood.

Help

greygibson — 2025-06-11 13:47:12 UTC

If you have Anxiety or Depression and need help spend less time on social media and potentially reach out to groups like https://988lifeline.org/#:~:text=If%20you%20need%20to%20talk,counselors%20are%20here%20for%20you OR https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help#:~:text=NIMH%20offers%20research%2Dbased%20information,is%20a%20research%20funding%20agency