Facebook And Instagram Don't Induce Low Satisfaction In Teenagers, Says Study

While everyone is fully engulfed in blaming social media for all the negative impacts, a new study has something positive to say, suggesting that social media is not as bad as we think it is.

According to a study conducted by researchers from Oxford University, it is hinted that social media is not responsible for ruining adolescents’ minds and it has an insignificant effect on their satisfaction level.

The study talks about the dilemma of whether social media such as Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat cause low satisfaction in teenagers or kids with low satisfaction incline more towards social media.

Amy Orben, College Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Oxford, highlights that: “The previous literature was based almost entirely on correlations with no means to dissociate whether social media use leads to changes in life satisfaction or changes in life satisfaction influence social media use.”

The skepticism concludes with the finding that social media effects on teenagers and even adults are a two-way street, and ‘they are nuanced, reciprocal, possibly contingent on gender, and arguably trivial in size.‘

The report further throws light on the importance of questioning how social media affects teenagers, given the speed at which technology is being enhanced.

Furthermore, the study, which was conducted in the UK Household Panel Study, suggests that the phrase ‘Lower life satisfaction led to increased social media use’ and vice versa were more prevalent in girls as compared to boys.

The aforementioned study acts as a sigh of relief for those who are all against kids using social media. Additionally, it gives more weight to the fact that we decide the way we conduct our lives and not social media.

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