Governments around the world are rushing to ban the use of social media and smartphones among teenagers, amid growing scientific controversy over their impact on their mental health. While countries such as Australia and Arkansas are moving to impose these restrictions, the scientific community is seeing significant differences in opinion as to whether these technologies are actually causing an increase in the levels of anxiety and depression among young people.
The beginning of the controversy
The controversy began in March following the publication of social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s book, “The Anxious Generation,” in which he pointed out that the exposure to smartphones and social media was linked to an increase in mental disorders among young people. over the past fifteen years. . But Haidt’s book did not pass without criticism.
Responses and counter-responses
Haidt responded in April, referring to recent experimental studies that support his theory, with some results showing improvement in participants who reduced their use of social media. On the other hand, psychologist Christopher Ferguson of Stetson University presented a comprehensive analytical study in May that included several tests and concluded that reducing social media use did not show a significant effect. any mental health.
Later, in August, Haidt and his colleague Zach Rausch published an article calling Ferguson’s research methods wrong, proposing a different analytical method that showed the negative impact of social media on mental health. But Matthew Jane, a researcher in this field, confirmed that there were problems in the various analyzes from both sides, indicating that the current evidence is still uncertain.
Challenges of scientific research on the subject
Trials attempting to test the effects of reducing social media use have had mixed results. To understand the reasons for this difference, the researchers explain that these studies suffer from many limitations, since most tests rely on self-administered questionnaires. administration in which participants influence their expectations and the knowledge that they are part of a scientific experiment, most of which focus on specific platforms and are not showing practice a variety of different communication methods.
One example that illustrates these challenges is a German study involving Facebook users. Some participants were asked to reduce their use of the platform for a short period of time, and the load -research that found a significant effect on the level of depression or life in general. satisfaction Another experiment was conducted on a group of university students who were asked to limit their use of various platforms to a maximum of ten minutes, but the final results showed only a small decrease in the level of loneliness.
Absence of studies including adolescents
On the other hand, current analyzes have shown that there is a lack of research that specifically addresses the impact of social media use on adolescents, who are the main target group for the proposed government restrictions. In other words, there is still no strong scientific evidence to prove that reducing teenagers’ social media use can improve their mental health.
Conclusion: Open questions and uncertain answers
To date, researchers have not been able to provide a definitive answer to the impact of reducing social media use on adolescent mental health. While studies and research continue, the fundamental question of the relationship between social media and adolescent mental health remains unresolved, amid government pressure to push toward evidence-based restrictions that are still debated. .
2024-11-15 11:37:00
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