There is a growing scientific controversy about the negative impact of social media on teenagers mental health, and even adults. Social media companies deny these claims. Billions of dollars are at stake.

A study from the University of Pennsylvania found using social media increases depression and loneliness:

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/social-media-use-increases-depression-and-loneliness

But a recent scientific study from Manchester University found that social media has no negative impact on mental health:

https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/time-spent-on-gaming-and-social-media/

This contradicts another study from Harvard University that found a social media detox improves well-being and reduces anxiety:

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/12/social-media-detox-boosts-mental-health-but-nuances-stand-out/

What’s your opinion on this matter?

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    18 hours ago

    What’s your opinion on this matter?

    That the one study that you think says social media isn’t bad is the one study that didn’t just look at social media…

    So the logical result is that social media is still bad, but that other technology can offset it. If nothing else because it’s time not spent on social media.

    I mean, it’s all laid out in the study…

    Our study also did not differentiate between various types of games or social media; this is important because certain games are more strongly associated with problematic gaming.54 Online gaming is often included within the broader definition of social media,55 and platforms like Discord or Twitch are integral to the gaming community. The lack of differentiation between these platforms may obscure important findings and could partly explain why more frequent gaming among girls predicted decreases in later social media use. In addition, there are contextual factors that likely moderate the psychological effects of video gaming—such as social context (e.g. solo vs. multiplayer), player motivation (e.g. escapism, competition), and timing of play,56 which were not captured in the current study. Similarly, different social media platforms vary in features and user engagement patterns, which may influence their impact on mental health in distinct ways. Additionally, the reliance on time-based measures for social media and gaming overlooks other important dimensions, such as the purpose of use, emotional responses, or the specific nature of interactions. Similarly, while some evidence suggests that the distinction between ‘active’ and ‘passive’ social media use may offer more nuanced insights than total time spent,24 it remains narrow in scope.46 Finally, while the large and diverse sample enhances generalizability, it is still limited to the UK context, and findings may not fully apply to other cultural settings.