Change in Social Media Use and Well-being Among College Students Receiving a Two-week Mindfulness or Exercise Intervention

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating two interventions aimed at reducing social media use and improving related mental health aspects among college students who use social media frequently. This study compares a mindfulness meditation cognitive exercise and a behavioral intervention combining social media reduction with physical exercise, against a control group with no intervention. The study focuses on psychological factors like well-being, stress, depression, and anxiety as well as actual social media use patterns. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups: no intervention, daily mindfulness meditation sessions of about 15 minutes each using the Calm app for two weeks, or reducing social media use by at least 30 minutes daily while replacing that time with chosen physical exercise for two weeks. The mindfulness intervention includes two 7-day courses focusing on gratitude and stress management. The exercise group is encouraged to choose safe activities such as walking or yoga. During the study, participants will provide self-reports and behavioral data including smartphone screenshots showing social media use, pickups, and notifications. Assessments occur at baseline, immediately after the two-week intervention, and one week later to examine sustained effects. Psychological scales measuring depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, gratitude, and social media addiction are also used. Overall, participants are involved for three weeks with monitoring of mental health and social media use outcomes.

Change in Social Media Use and Well-being Among College Students Receiving a Two-week Exercise or Mindfulness Intervention