The Effects of Social Media Restriction on Social Anxiety, Fear of Missing Out, and Health-related Quality of Life: a Randomised Controlled Trial

This randomised controlled superiority trial assesses the effects of restricting social media use on social anxiety, fear of missing out (FoMO), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and social media use (safety outcome) in young adults. A sample of N=160 psychology students will be randomly allocated between an intervention group and a control group (1:1 ratio). The intervention arm will be instructed to restrict their use of social media to 1 hour per day, whilst the control arm will continue with their usual usage (treatment as usual). Data will be collected via self-reported questionnaires at baseline, one-week post-baseline, and three-week post-baseline. Our study aims to determine the effectiveness of restricting use of social media, to contribute to the existing literature, and to adapt interventions for future studies.

Inclusion Criteria: * Be aged 18 or over * Good level of French (minimum B2) * Use of social media platforms for at least 2 hours per week * Provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Use of social media for professional purposes (e.g., as a community manager, influencer or content creator) * Have voluntarily reduced their social media use or undertaken a digital detox (lasting at least two weeks) in the previous 12 months * Being unable to provide smartphone screen-time data (e.g., due to an incompatible smartphone or refusal to share these data)