Tired of Social Media? Many People Want to Quit Due to "Happiness Posts"!—A Comprehensive Analysis of the "Social Media Detox" Phenomenon Spreading Among Foreigners

1. Introduction: Why "SNS Fatigue" is a Hot Topic Now

Since Facebook's explosive spread in the late 2000s, SNS has rapidly grown as a technology symbolizing "connection." However, the constantly updating 24-hour timeline places users in a "always connected" state, resulting in a flood of fragmented information such as notifications, feeds, and DMs.SNS fatigue refers to the general psychological and physical stress arising from this information overload, excessive comparison, and self-presentation fatigue.

In Hill Holiday's Origin survey (U.S., ages 18–24, n = 1,000), 34% of Gen Z reported "completely quitting SNS," and 64% reported "taking a temporary break" (2021)Better Marketing. As of 2025, this trend has expanded from North America to Europe and Asia, and "digital detox travel" has become popular among foreign tourists.

2. The "Comparison Trap" and Reward Loop Created by Happy Posts

Instagram and TikTok allow users to easily create an "ideal lifestyle" through filters and editing features. Users are more prone to upward comparison with others' posts, leading to feelings of "not being happy enough."

McLean Hospital's 2025 review points out that SNS usage forms a dopamine reward loop, where intermittent "like notifications" promote addiction similarly to gambling reinforcement schedulesMcLean Hospital.

3. Global Statistics on the Shift Away from SNS

These figures suggest that "SNS fatigue" is becoming a common issue across cultures.

4. Case Study: How Gen Z in Different Countries Cope

• United States, New York: University student Mia was overwhelmed by success posts on LinkedIn and took a 3-week SNS break at the end of the semester. As a result, her GPA increased by 0.3 points, and her sleep time increased by an average of 45 minutes per day.
  
  

• United Kingdom, London: Josh, who works at a startup, promotes a "48h Offline Challenge" within the company, where smartphones are stored in lockers from Friday 6 PM to Monday 8 AM. Participation rate increased from 12% in Q1 to 38% in Q4.
  
  

• South Korea, Seoul: Despite the popularity of photogenic café culture, more cafés are installing commercial smartphone safes. 82% of users reported "increased conversation" (2025 Korea Tourism Organization survey).

5. Psychological Impact: FoMO, Self-Esteem, and Sleep

FoMO refers to the "fear of missing out on fun activities of others." A study in Bangladesh reports that FoMO mediates SNS fatigue, worsening sleep quality (PSQI score)PMC. Lack of sleep reduces decision-making ability, further strengthening SNS dependence, creating a negative cycle.

6. "Fatigue Points" by Platform

• Instagram: Comparison fatigue from image beautification and continuous reel playback

• TikTok: Loss of time perception due to infinite scrolling and audio stimuli

• LinkedIn: Anxiety from career comparison and "celebration 🎉" culture

• YouTube: Long viewing hours → sleep erosion
  
  Companies are enhancing screen time notifications and keyword mute features for well-being, but algorithms still aim to maximize time spent on the platform.

7. The Forefront of Digital Detox

Pinterest trends highlight "nature bathing," "farmhouse-style interiors," and "book retreats" as the top three keywords, with search growth rates exceeding +100%Pinterest. In the travel industry, smartphone-confiscating retreats (e.g., "Unplugged Retreat" in Chiang Mai, Thailand) are thriving, with the average customer unit price growing 1.4 times compared to regular resorts.

8. Policy and Corporate Movements

• EU: Digital Services Act enforced in 2024, limiting targeted advertising to minors.

• Japan: The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications requests SNS platforms to implement "usage time dashboards" in Japanese (March 2025).

• Apple/Google: Opened screen time and digital well-being APIs to external developers, leading to a surge in third-party health apps.

9. 10 Steps to Building Healthy SNS Habits

1. 30-Minute Rule: Set total connection time to within 30 minutes a day

2. Notification Badge Removal: Red badges are dopamine triggers, turn them off immediately

3. Emotion Log: Rate your mood on a 5-point scale after viewing and mute negative posts

4. Screen Ban 1 Hour Before Bedtime: Protect melatonin secretion

5. Offline Day: Completely disconnect once a week and connect with nature

6. Account Cleanup: Unfollow those you haven't interacted with for over six months

7. Content Decluttering: Aggregate information sources with a news aggregator

8. Time-Limited Posting: Fix posting to morning, noon, or night to prevent "mindless browsing"

9. Record Over Compare: Save memories in a diary app instead of a timeline

10. Social Contract: Share "restriction declarations" with friends for mutual monitoring

10. Business Opportunities: The Post-SNS Market

• Offline Retreats: Residential digital detox accommodations are growing at an annual rate of +18% worldwide

• Wearables × Mental Health: Emerging services analyze heart rate and sleep data with AI to issue alerts for excessive SNS use

• Revival of Paper Media: 20% of Gen Z purchase "paper diaries" (Japan Stationery Industry Association 2025)

11. Conclusion: Towards an Era of Balance

SNS is indispensable for global interaction and information acquisition, but excessive comparison and reward loops threaten mental and physical health. When living or traveling in Japan, foreign readers should consciously set aside time to **"put down the smartphone and engage with the scenery before you."** Balancing the benefits of SNS with the richness of real life can be achieved by "intentionally switching" between digital and reality, which will be key to living in the post-SNS era.

List of Reference Articles

• WPLG Local10 - Many Americans shedding social media, study shows

• Fast Company - Gen Z is embracing a digital detox and the “Martha Stewart summer”

• Psychology Today - How Social Media Might Be Quietly Killing Your Confidence

• The Sun - Brits reveal how they're overcoming smartphone addiction

• McLean Hospital - How Social Media Affects Mental Health

• EBSCO - Fear of Missing Out (FoMO)##HTML_TAG_