Social Media Diet and Psychological Outcomes in University Students

NCT07473791 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Gumushane University Kelkit
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 70
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Loneliness; Fear of Missing Out; Sleep Quality

Keywords

Social Media Diet; Digital Detox; University Students; Behavioral Intervention; Randomized Controlled Trial

Outcome Measures

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.

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

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• UCLA Loneliness Scale Score

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

• Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Global Score

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

Study Arms (2)

Social Media Diet Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to the experimental group will follow a social media diet intervention aimed at reducing daily social media usage. They will be instructed to limit their daily social media use to a maximum of 30 minutes per day for the duration of the intervention period (e.g., four weeks). Participants will be encouraged to monitor their usage through smartphone screen-time tracking tools.

Behavioral: Social Media Diet

Usual Social Media Use

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in the control group will continue their usual social media usage without any restrictions or behavioral intervention during the study period.

Interventions

Social Media Diet BEHAVIORAL

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

Also known as: digital detox

Social Media Diet Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 17 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• 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).
• Volunteering to participate in the study and providing written informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• 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.
• Planning to change smartphone device during the 4-week intervention period.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Gümüşhane Universıty: lead

Study Sites (1)

Gümüşhane University

Gümüşhane, Gümüşhane Province, 29600, Turkey (Türkiye)

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Wake Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders

Central Study Contacts

Hatun Erkuran, Asst. Prof.Dr.

CONTACT

+905424262879; htn_erkran@hotmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Due to the behavioral nature of the intervention, participants will be aware of their group assignment. Therefore, masking will not be applied.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Asst. Prof.Dr.

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving the social media diet intervention or a control group continuing their usual social media use. Outcomes will be compared between groups.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 11, 2026
• First Posted: March 16, 2026
• Study Start: March 10, 2026
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Last Updated: March 18, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)