In a groundbreaking study on the correlation between mental health and internet usage, the Oxford Internet Institute asserts that there is no definitive “smoking gun” linking the internet to psychological harm. Professors Andrew Przybylski and Matti Vuorre conducted an extensive analysis of data from two million individuals aged 15 to 89 across 168 countries. Despite the increasing connectivity over the last two decades, the study reveals only marginal shifts in global mental health.
Contrary to long-standing concerns about the adverse effects of excessive social media use, the findings challenge these notions. However, the study acknowledges its limitations, particularly the absence of data from the platforms themselves. Notably, a leaked Meta report, revealed by whistleblower Frances Haugen, suggested that Instagram exacerbates body image issues for one in three teen girls, prompting concerns about the legitimacy of such findings.
Oxford’s Professor Przybylski, while acknowledging potential methodological shortcomings in leaked reports, including focus groups, surveys, and user interviews, expressed scepticism about their reliability. He highlighted the need for improved research methodologies, stating, “A lot of this work wouldn’t pass muster as a bachelor’s thesis.”
It’s worth noting that Professor Przybylski has engaged in “unpaid consultations” with Meta. Nevertheless, he concedes that research on this topic faces challenges and uncertainties due to methodological shortcomings, leaving the broader consequences of internet adoption unknown.
Meta’s research capabilities allow tracking people’s responses to mental health surveys alongside their actual behaviour on the platform. However, this valuable hard data is rarely accessible to academic researchers, prompting a call for increased collaboration between independent scientists and the internet-technology sector.
The study emphasizes the difficulty in comprehending the relationship between social media usage and mental health without cooperation from social platforms. However, the reluctance of these platforms to be implicated in potential scandals, particularly following the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, has led to increased caution in granting access to research APIs.
In a coincidental development, around the time of the Oxford study’s publication, Meta introduced a new academic research API in early access, providing real-time data on Facebook usage. However, the initial version only shares text-based data, excluding multimedia posts and Instagram content.
The intersection of social media and mental health has become a prominent issue, drawing attention from President Joe Biden, who addressed it in his recent State of the Union addresses. Meta also faces legal challenges, with 33 states suing the company over allegations of violating state and federal laws to prolong young users’ platform engagement.
While acknowledging the increasing global internet usage, the study underscores that social media is not inherently negative, with potential mental health benefits. However, it also points out the challenges in drawing strong conclusions, asserting that research on the effects of internet technologies remains hindered by data being held behind closed doors by technology companies and online platforms. Until transparent analysis of these data is feasible for the public good, the potential harmful effects of the internet and digital environments will remain unknown.
