Social media use explains just 0.4% of teen well-being variation, researcher argues studies fail policy
asusarla · x · 2026-10-06
Jay Van Bavel argues most social media research has failed policy-makers: studies on teen mental health show mixed results largely because they ignore the 'cost of missing out' — the social cost of not belonging.
- Kids with heavy social media use can be happier than peers while overall collective well-being still declines — both can be true
- One cross-sectional study found digital technology use explains only 0.4% of variation in adolescent well-being
- The quoter notes their NIH-funded research aims to build policy-relevant methods informed by domain experts and evidence-based guidelines — asking not just the what, but the how
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