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Despite widespread attributions linking the internet to heightened mental health concerns, a comprehensive study examining the psychological well-being of two million individuals uncovered no definitive correlation between the two.
Conducted by the Oxford Internet Institute and published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, the study revealed that any associations between internet adoption and psychological well-being were, at most, marginal. Contrary to popular assumptions about the adverse psychological impacts of internet platforms and technologies, the findings indicated inconclusive and relatively minor connections.
Analyzing data from 168 countries encompassing two million individuals aged 15 to 89, the research yielded associations smaller and less consistent than anticipated. This challenged the notion of the internet causing widespread psychological distress, as emphasized by Professor Andrew Przybylski from Oxford: “We thoroughly investigated the relationship between technology and well-being, but no conclusive evidence emerged.”
Matti Vuorre, a Research Associate at Oxford, added, “Despite our comprehensive analysis of well-being and internet adoption data, we observed only subtle and irregular connections. While we couldn’t establish causal effects of internet usage, our findings suggested limited and inconsistent correlations.”
Even after dissecting the results based on age and gender, no specific patterns emerged among internet users, including women and young girls. Interestingly, on an average scale, life satisfaction notably increased for females over time across various countries.
Przybylski emphasized, “We extensively examined whether certain age groups or genders were more susceptible, but our research doesn’t support the prevalent idea that specific demographics are disproportionately affected.”
The study delved deeper, examining rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm between 2000 and 2019 across approximately 200 countries in relation to internet adoption.
While the team noted that increased mobile broadband adoption corresponded with higher life satisfaction, the magnitude of this association was deemed too insignificant to have practical relevance.
However, the researchers highlighted the necessity for technology companies to offer more accessible data for conclusive evidence regarding the impacts of internet use: “Progress in understanding the effects of internet technologies is hindered because crucial data are often inaccessible, held behind closed doors by technology firms and online platforms.”
