Health TrialsbyHealthPanel

Social Media Diet and Psychological Outcomes in University Students

ConditionsLonelinessFear of Missing OutSleep Quality
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age17-25
SponsorGümüşhane Universıty

About this trial

This study aims to examine the effect of a social media diet intervention on loneliness, fear of missing out (FoMO), and sleep quality among university students. Excessive social media use has been associated with several negative psychological outcomes, including increased loneliness, heightened FoMO, and poor sleep quality.

In this randomized controlled trial, university students will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Participants in the experimental group will follow a social media diet intervention that involves limiting daily social media use for a specified period, while participants in the control group will continue their usual social media use without restrictions.

Loneliness, FoMO, and sleep quality will be measured at baseline and after the intervention using validated scales. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence on whether reducing social media use can improve psychological well-being and sleep quality among university students.

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Being between the ages of 18-25.

Being a student at Gumushane University Kelkit Sema Dogan Vocational School of Health Services.

Having a daily social media usage time of at least 2 hours (verified by smartphone screen time settings).

Owning a smartphone (Android or iOS).

Disqualifiers

Having a diagnosed clinical sleep disorder (e.g., sleep apnea, chronic insomnia) or using prescribed sleep medication.

Having a diagnosed psychiatric disorder that may interfere with social media use or perception of loneliness.

Use of other digital detox or time-management applications during the study period.

Being unable to provide weekly screen time screenshots.

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Social Media Diet

    Behavioral

    Participants in the control group will continue their usual social media use without any restrictions during the study period.

Treatment groups

70 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Social Media Diet InterventionExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Usual Social Media UseNo intervention 0 interventions

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) Scale Score

Evaluation of the level of anxiety related to missing experiences on social media. The scale consists of 10 items (or the specific version you use), with scores ranging from \[Min Score\] to \[Max Score\]. Higher scores indicate a higher level of fear of missing out.

Time frame
Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 4).

Secondary outcomes

1

UCLA Loneliness Scale Score

Measurement of subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation. The scale consists of 20 items. Total scores range from 20 to 80, where higher scores reflect greater perceived loneliness.

Time frame
Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 4).
2

Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Global Score

Assessment of sleep quality over a 1-month period. The global score ranges from 0 to 21. A total score of 5 or greater indicates "poor" sleep quality.

Time frame
Baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 4).

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Gümüşhane Universıty

Lead sponsor

Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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