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. 2019 Feb;3(2):173-182.
doi: 10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use

Amy Orben  1 , Andrew K Przybylski  2   3
Affiliations

The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use

Amy Orben et al. Nat Hum Behav. 2019 Feb.

Abstract

The widespread use of digital technologies by young people has spurred speculation that their regular use negatively impacts psychological well-being. Current empirical evidence supporting this idea is largely based on secondary analyses of large-scale social datasets. Though these datasets provide a valuable resource for highly powered investigations, their many variables and observations are often explored with an analytical flexibility that marks small effects as statistically significant, thereby leading to potential false positives and conflicting results. Here we address these methodological challenges by applying specification curve analysis (SCA) across three large-scale social datasets (total n = 355,358) to rigorously examine correlational evidence for the effects of digital technology on adolescents. The association we find between digital technology use and adolescent well-being is negative but small, explaining at most 0.4% of the variation in well-being. Taking the broader context of the data into account suggests that these effects are too small to warrant policy change.

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  • Reply to: Underestimating digital media harm.
    Orben A, Przybylski AK. Orben A, et al. Nat Hum Behav. 2020 Apr;4(4):349-351. doi: 10.1038/s41562-020-0840-y. Epub 2020 Apr 17. Nat Hum Behav. 2020. PMID: 32303718 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Underestimating digital media harm.
    Twenge JM, Haidt J, Joiner TE, Campbell WK. Twenge JM, et al. Nat Hum Behav. 2020 Apr;4(4):346-348. doi: 10.1038/s41562-020-0839-4. Epub 2020 Apr 17. Nat Hum Behav. 2020. PMID: 32303719 No abstract available.

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