To sleep – Perchance to dream: does reducing social media use improve sleep quality among adolescents and college students?

Despite a considerable body of research that has focused on the relationship between social media use (SMU) and sleep quality, significant gaps exist in the literature. The present research addresses several important gaps in this literature. Study 1 uses a large, nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescent students and shows that SMU is negatively associated with sleep. Study 2 uses an experiment with U.S. students and finds that reducing one’s SMU over 10 days leads to higher reported sleep quality. Study 3 addresses a proposed pathway by which SMU impacts sleep quality. Using actual SMU rather than purely self-report measures, we find that Negative Social Comparisons and Pre-Sleep Cognitive Arousal mediate the relationship between SMU and both sleep quality and insomnia symptoms. Given the severe negative consequences of poor sleep quality, research in this area is critical for both individuals and the greater good.