- A new study by the Oxford Internet Institute has found little evidence that internet use is harmful to mental health.
- This study analyzed whether there is a link between Internet penetration and mental health.
- The researchers said technology companies need to disclose the data they hold to allow for more thorough investigations.
A group has challenged the idea that internet use, including the use of social media apps and smartphones, can harm mental health. new global research The Oxford Internet Institute made the announcement on Tuesday.
A study titled “Global Happiness and Mental Health in the Internet Age” The study was conducted by Andrew Przybylski, professor of human behavior and technology at OII, and Matti Vuorre, research fellow at OII, to analyze whether internet use is associated with changes in people’s mental health. I did.
For the study, Przybylski and Vuore looked at data on the psychological health of 2.4 million people aged 15 to 89 in 168 countries between 2005 and 2022. Still, they found little evidence that increased internet use was related. It has a negative impact on mental health.
That said, both negative and positive experiences increased on average across the country during this period.
“We searched hard for the ‘definitive answer’ to link technology and happiness, but we couldn’t find it,” Przybylski said in a press release.
The researchers also analyzed data comparing the incidence of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety and self-harm in 200 countries from 2000 to 2019, as well as internet penetration rates over that period.
“Our results demonstrate that the Internet and the technologies it enables, such as Internet-enabled smartphones, positively promote or harm well-being and mental health globally,” the researchers wrote in their study. “We have not provided any evidence to support our view that this is the case.”
Przybylski said in a release: “We carefully tested whether there was anything special about age or gender, but there is no evidence to support the general idea that any particular group is more at risk.” added.
In their study, they said big tech companies need to be more transparent about the data they collect to conduct more thorough investigations.
“Research on the impact of Internet technology has stalled because the most urgently needed data is collected and stored behind closed doors by technology companies and online platforms. It is important to research from all stakeholders to have their involvement with the adoption of Internet-based technologies. ”
Despite these findings, social media companies have come under fire in recent years for contributing to mental health problems among young people.
“32% of teenage girls say that when they feel bad about their bodies, they look at Instagram to make them feel bad.” Facebook internal documents According to the Wall Street Journal in 2021, “Comparisons on Instagram can change the way young women see and express themselves.”
A 2019 internal Facebook presentation seen by the Journal also said, “We are exacerbating the body image issues of one in three teenage girls.”
In October, 33 US states including California and New York sued the meta Ober claims its platform is harming the mental health of young people and has designed features to keep them hooked to its platform.
Watch now: Popular videos from Insider Inc.
Loading…