A new study refutes the supposed link between depression and the amount of time spent on Facebook and other social-media sites.
This new University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health study suggests that it may be unnecessarily alarming to advise patients and parents on the risk of Facebook Depression based solely on the amount of Internet use.
Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a report which suggested that exposure to Facebook could lead to depression.
The new research surveyed students between the ages of 18 and 23, using text-message questionnaires. The students were asked if they were currently online, how many minutes they had been online and what they were doing on the Internet.
The study found that the survey participants were on Facebook for over half of the total time online. When they evaluated the data including the depression-screening results, they found no significant associations between social-media use and the probability of depression.
One pediatrician (thats a doctor for kids) who does a lot of studies about social-media use among children and adolescents advised parents not to have a cow every time their kid logs onto Facebook. Instead, parents should try to figure out if childs behavior and mood have changed, or if their relationships or school work is getting worse. If your kid isnt measuring up in these areas, then have a cow about Facebook.
So we can blame Facebook for stealing our time and our money (if you bought the stock), and for making us feel fat, but we can no longer blame Facebook for our depression.
Study from Univ. of Wisconsin Medical School.
