Studying the Impact of a Social Media Diet on Loneliness, Fear of Missing Out, and Sleep Quality in University Students

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to investigate how reducing social media use affects loneliness, fear of missing out FoMO, and sleep quality among university students aged 18 to 25. Excessive social media use is linked to negative psychological outcomes including increased loneliness, higher FoMO, and poor sleep quality. The study is designed as a randomized controlled trial to better understand these effects. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups an experimental group following a social media diet intervention that limits daily social media use to 30 minutes for four weeks, and a control group continuing their usual social media habits without restrictions. Those in the intervention group will be encouraged to track their social media usage using smartphone screen-time tools. Throughout the study, participants will complete validated scales measuring FoMO, loneliness, and sleep quality at the start and end of the four-week period. The research team will monitor changes in these outcomes to assess the impact of the social media diet. The total participation time is approximately four weeks, with assessments conducted at baseline and post-intervention.

Social Media Diet and Psychological Outcomes in University Students