JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Prior research has linked social media usage to poorer mental health. To address these concerns, social media platforms have introduced digital well-being tools to help users monitor their engagement. Nonetheless, little is known about the effectiveness of these tools.

Objective:

In this study, we focused on Facebook to assess users’ awareness and usage of 6 Facebook well-being tools (‘Unfollow’, ‘Snooze’, ‘Off-Facebook Activity’, ‘Your Time on Facebook’, ‘Set Daily Reminders’, and ‘Notification Settings’). Additionally, we examined whether use of the tools was associated with better mental health outcomes.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 608 Facebook users. The survey comprised questions about: (i) baseline Facebook use; (ii) adoption of Facebook’s digital well-being tools; and (iii) participant demographics. These were used to predict the primary outcome measure – scores on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21).

Results:

Most participants (97%) knew about Facebook’s digital well-being tools, but each tool was used by only 17 to 55% of participants. In turn, use of two tools was associated with better well-being. Namely, although participants who spent more time on Facebook reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, those who managed their feed content or notifications (using ‘Unfollow’ or ‘Notification settings’) had lower scores on each of these measures. However, use of the ‘Snooze’, ‘Off-Facebook Activity’, ‘Your Time on Facebook’, or ‘Set Time Reminder’ features was not associated with lower depression, anxiety, or stress scores.

Conclusions:

Of six of Facebook’s digital well-being tools, only two were associated with better user mental health. This underscores the complexity of designing social media platforms to promote user welfare. Consequently, we urge further research to understand the efficacy of various digital well-being tools. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04967846