Oxford-led study finds no proof of Facebook causing psychological harm

In an unexpected turn of events, a comprehensive scientific probe led by the University of Oxford’s Internet Institute concluded on Wednesday, showing there was ‘no evidence’ that a rise in Facebook usage led to significant psychological damage. This report, the most wide-ranging independent audit on the matter, contradicts popular beliefs and past critiques. The study scrutinised data from approximately one million users across 72 nations spanning over twelve years, discovering ‘positive correlations’ between elements of wellness and social media app engagement.

The research team combined Gallup’s well-being information with Facebook’s global membership statistics, studying how interaction on the platform correlated with life satisfaction and negative and positive psychological experiences.

Facebook had supplied the necessary data, examined by their own researchers for accuracy. However, they did not bankroll, manipulate the study’s structure, or know the outcomes beforehand, as clarified by the Oxford crew. For impartiality, the report also went through a peer review process via the Royal Society Open Science journal.

Andrew Przybylski, an academic at Oxford University with expertise in human behaviour and technology, articulated the outcomes. He stated that after thoroughly examining the best available data, they could not find any proof that Facebook usage is harmful. ‘On the contrary,’ he highlights, ‘our analysis suggests a potential correlation between Facebook usage and positive mental well-being.’

Nevertheless, Przybylski was also careful to clarify that this statement does not imply Facebook can be proven as beneficial for users’ well-being reported Manila Times.

The project was initiated before the Covid-19 pandemic and required more than two years to compile the essential data from Facebook. Currently, the social media giant boasts nearly three billion users globally. However, for this study, the team focused on the platform’s international reach and penetration from 2008 to 2019. This was then collated with responses of 946,798 individuals about their wellbeing during the same time span, as part of Gallup’s World Poll Survey.

Matti Vuorre, a Research Associate and co-author of the study, claimed that their investigative approach was the first of its kind in the domain of social media research. The findings ‘should help guide the debate surrounding social media towards more empirical research foundations,’ he said.

This groundbreaking research’s conclusions are at odds with prior studies, which include two separate scholarly analyses from last year that associated Facebook usage with diminishing mental health among US college students. It also counters various lawsuits in the United States.