A new report carried out by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have pointed out Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat as the major Cause of Depression.

The study titled “No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression,” states that limiting the use of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat directly leads to reductions in loneliness and depression.

This was proven based on researchers observation on 143 undergraduate students for over three weeks.

The students were split into two groups: one that continued to use social media as normal and another that was limited to using each social service to 10 minutes per day. Students sent researchers screenshots of their iPhone battery usage, which shows how many minutes are spent on each app each day, to track their usage of the apps.

The experiment found that among the group that limited its use of social media, the researchers saw significant declines in depressive symptoms.

After the study, a student said, “Not comparing my life to the lives of others had a much stronger impact than I expected, and I felt a lot more positive about myself during those weeks.”

These social mediums – Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram over the years have lead to various decline in personal growth and leading to many mental issues.

Though other studies have found correlations between social media and mental health issues, this study claims to be the first “to establish a clear causal link between decreasing social media use, and improvements in loneliness and depression.”

“It is ironic, but perhaps not surprising, that reducing social media, which promised to help us connect with others, actually helps people feel less lonely and depressed,” the study reads.

“Facebook could not be reached for comment. Snap, the maker of Snapchat, declined to comment.”