Social anxiety disorder often keeps people away from the very treatment that could help, whether because of cost, distance, or the anxiety itself getting in the way of walking into a clinic. A 2023 meta-analysis brought together 31 studies and almost 2,900 participants to ask whether cognitive behavioural therapy delivered remotely, through the internet, an app, or guided self-help booklets, works as well as sitting in a room with a therapist.
The results were reassuring. People who completed remote CBT showed large improvements from before treatment to after, and those gains held at follow-up. Therapy delivered through the internet or an app produced the strongest results. Guided self-help booklets showed a smaller but still meaningful benefit. Remote CBT outperformed inactive controls and other remote treatments that weren't CBT-based, and matched, or slightly exceeded, face-to-face CBT.
This matters because access to treatment for social anxiety has long depended on where you live and what you can afford to take time off for. These findings support offering remote options as a genuine first step, not a lesser substitute. If social anxiety is limiting your life, reaching out for support, whether in person or online, is worth doing.