Reducing social media use by 15 minutes a day can significantly improve general health and immune function and reduce levels of loneliness and depression, suggests new research.

The study, published in the Journal of Technology in Behavior Science, showed that the people who reduced their social media use had an average 15 per cent improvement in immune function, including fewer colds, flu, warts, and verrucae. They also showed a 50 per cent improvement in sleep quality, and 30 per cent fewer depressive symptoms.