Pete EtchellsI wrote this a few months ago for the print edition, but here’s the online version of my Science Focus article about the problems with a relentless focus on correlation when trying to figure out if social media is tanking our mental health: https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/social-media-children/
Child depression rates are skyrocketing - but social media isn’t to blame. Here’s why
It’s tempting to think that our digital lives on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat are the cause of a child mental health crisis. But there might be something altogether more analogue going on, argues Prof Pete Etchells.