There has long been a deep-rooted assumption - or now a common understanding - in the minds of many people that the use of social media can have a grave impact on users’ mental health.
In this digital age when socialization has almost been completely computerized in many parts of the world, widespread fears are being fostered. In fear of the risk of deteriorating mental health, parents have begun holding back from their children any means of accessing social media platforms. Others who have failed to do so try to at least contribute to demeaning the use of social media.
However, researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) were determined to prove that the effect of using social media was not just a ‘one-way street’.
The team conducted an eight-year survey that started in 2009 to examine the links between social media use and life satisfaction. The research was based on over 12, 000 people between the age of 10 and 15. According to Professor Andy Przybylski, the co-author of the research from Oxford University, the study draws the conclusion that “99.75% of a young person’s life satisfaction across a year has nothing to do with whether they are using more or less social media.” This study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The data from the research show that girls on average spent more time on social media and have consequently felt only ‘slightly’ more discontented with their life than boys. The team argued that this may be due to girls being more inclined to express themselves than boys.
Overall, the teens that took part of the study said that it was friends, family and school life that attributed to being the most significant factors in impacting their well-being. Moreover, the research showed that it was lower life satisfaction that actually encouraged the increased time spent on social media platforms.
Thus, the co-author made the case that how much time that was being spent on social media is not the factor that parents should be focusing on. Amy Orben, the other author of this study and Psychology lecturer at Oxford, said, “Just as things went awry offline, things will also go awry online, and it is really important for that communication channel to be open.” The team suggested that instead of parents posing as the “crying wolf” every time their children use social media, they should talk to them about their experience. While time may not be a worrying factor based on this evidence, the team said that there may be aspects of social media that may not have a positive impact on children and urged that this factor should gain more attention.
The team referred to previous research studies and pointed out that evidence was drawn by looking at data from children who spent relatively excessive time on social media and how they felt at that time. Then that data was compared to other children. However, the team argues that the previous studies did not give enough evidence to point out that it was the factor of ‘time spent on social media’ that drove the negative feelings.
The study showed that there was no significant link between teen’s use of social media and happiness based on the comparative evidence between children and effects over the given time with each individual child. However, there are still doubts whether social media can cause a detrimental effect in one’s mental health in the future.
The team acknowledged that there are other limitations in the study. They said that the data collected was based on self-reported time on social media which could have been inaccurate. Moreover, they were unable to examine what activity children undertake and which platform they used for this.
The lead authors of the study recognizing the limitations stated they wish to conduct further research hoping to provide more substantial evidence that would refute the common notion about social media usage. Furthermore, Amy Orben stated ‘If we find that a specific activity is more harmful than the rest, that would be an opportunity to think about what we can do instead of decrying that everything is bad.”
Portsmouth University's Professor Liz Twigg who is also leading another study on the subject recognized that this study granted “compelling evidence” and added: “In population terms, social media use may not be the source of harm for children’s mental health that we often think.”
The researchers recognized that social media also provide a positive impact for children. For many of them, it meant being able to connect to people across the globe, counteract young people’s social isolation, and using the platforms as a means of ‘creative self-expression’. Not only does social media help adolescents socialize but also find support in online communities they could not find elsewhere. As stated before, there is evidence that shows that discontentment is a factor that leads teens to use social media in the first place. This means that they also use online forums to discuss about their mental health issues most likely due to the factor of anonymity.
Dr Max Davie from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health responded to the study agreeing with the conclusion drawn that there are limited links between social media and teenage life satisfaction. Yet he argues, “There are still issues around screen time more generally and a risk that screen time may interfere with other important activities like sleep, exercise and spending time with family or friends.”
Previous studies have found that the blue-violet light from phones at night could be damaging to the eyes, and can disrupt sleep and affect mental well-being. Amy Orben addressed this in her study: ”We recommend families follow our guidance published this year and avoid screen use for one hour before bed.”