Study finds that internet use has no negative impact on mental health

Researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute have found no conclusive evidence that browsing social media or playing online games worsens mental health after studying the internet use of more than 2 million people. .

Global Well-Being and Mental Health in the Internet Age - Matti Vuorre, Andrew K. Przybylski, 2023

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21677026231207791

Study finds no “smoking gun” for mental health issues due to Internet usage | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/11/study-finds-no-smoking-gun-for-mental-health-issues-due-to-internet-usage/

A research team led by Professor Andrew Przybulski from the Oxford Internet Institute compiled data on psychological well-being from 2.4 million people aged 15 to 89 in 168 countries between 2005 and 2022. The researchers looked at the data, compared it with data on internet subscription growth, and tracked the relationship between mental health and internet penetration in 202 countries from 2000 to 2019.

Although this study is the largest ever to examine the relationship between the internet and mental health, the research team said, ``We found no evidence to support the claim that the internet or technology puts any particular group at greater risk. 'There was no such thing.'

Professor Przybulski says the data needed to establish causality will only be available with the help of tech companies. If an app is having a negative impact on mental health, only the company that created it has the user data to prove it.

Previous research has pointed out, for example, that SNS has a negative impact on the mental health of teenagers.

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Professor Przybulski asserts, ``While much of the research to date on the relationship between technology and mental health and well-being 'gets attention and gets clicked,' the level of evidence is quite low.'' .

Professor Przybulski is concerned about a moral panic that ``technology harms society'' and disagrees with the underlying data, calling for restrictions on smartphone use and access to social media apps for those under 16. Criticizing proposed regulations such as ``Security checks at airports... it's just a meeting at the doorstep''.

Professor Przybulski added: 'If we really want to know whether the internet and technology are having a negative impact on young people, we should temporarily stop implementing random ideas to save them. 'Before we can suggest strategies or treatments, we need to have the kind of data we need to make a diagnosis.'

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