New-Media Screen Time Is Not (Necessarily) Linked to Depression: Comments on Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, and Martin (2018)

Ophir, Yaakov; Lipshits-Braziler, Yuliya; Rosenberg, Hananel

doi:10.1177/2167702619849412

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…A second, more provocative possibility is that excessive use of MTurk triggers depressive feelings. Although direct associations between depression and screen time are questionable (Ophir, Lipshits-Braziler, & Rosenberg, 2019), some researchers warn that new-media screen time might increase depressive symptoms (Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, and Martin, 2018). Likewise, in a recent systematic review, Elhai, Dvorak, Levine, and Hall (2017) reported that problematic smartphone use is consistently associated with depressive symptoms (Elhai et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Turker Blues: Hidden Factors Behind Increased Depression Rates Among Amazon’s Mechanical Turkers

Ophir

Sisso

Asterhan

et al. 2019

Clinical Psychological Science

Self Cite

117

103

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Data collection from online platforms, such as Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk), has become popular in clinical research. However, there are also concerns about the representativeness and the quality of these data for clinical studies. The present work explores these issues in the specific case of major depression. Analyses of two large data sets gathered from MTurk (Sample 1: N = 2,692; Sample 2: N = 2,354) revealed two major findings: First, failing to screen for inattentive and fake respondents inflates the rates of major depression artificially and significantly (by 18.5%–27.5%). Second, after cleaning the data sets, depression in MTurk is still 1.6 to 3.6 times higher than general population estimates. Approximately half of this difference can be attributed to differences in the composition of MTurk samples and the general population (i.e., sociodemographics, health, and physical activity lifestyle). Several explanations for the other half are proposed, and practical data-quality tools are provided.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Turker Blues: Hidden Factors Behind Increased Depression Rates Among Amazon’s Mechanical Turkers

Ophir

Sisso

Asterhan

et al. 2019

Clinical Psychological Science

Self Cite

117

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This conflict about methodology and scientific standards has been very evident in research on technological panics. There are clear divisions in the scientific debate about violence in video games (Elson & Ferguson, 2014) and the current discussion about smartphone use (Ophir, Lipshits-Braziler, & Rosenberg, 2019). The lack of an underlying theory lets different camps emerge that are in scientific disagreement with each other, which leaves the quality of scientific output relatively uncontrolled (Kuhn, 1962).…”

Section: Lack Of Consensusmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sisyphean Cycle of Technology Panics

Orben

2020

Perspect Psychol Sci

177

109

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Widespread concerns about new technologies—whether they be novels, radios, or smartphones—are repeatedly found throughout history. Although tales of past panics are often met with amusement today, current concerns routinely engender large research investments and policy debate. What we learn from studying past technological panics, however, is that these investments are often inefficient and ineffective. What causes technological panics to repeatedly reincarnate? And why does research routinely fail to address them? To answer such questions, I examined the network of political, population, and academic factors driving the Sisyphean cycle of technology panics. In this cycle, psychologists are encouraged to spend time investigating new technologies, and how they affect children and young people, to calm a worried population. Their endeavor, however, is rendered ineffective because of the lack of a theoretical baseline; researchers cannot build on what has been learned researching past technologies of concern. Thus, academic study seemingly restarts for each new technology of interest, which slows down the policy interventions necessary to ensure technologies are benefiting society. In this article, I highlight how the Sisyphean cycle of technology panics stymies psychology’s positive role in steering technological change and the pervasive need for improved research and policy approaches to new technologies.

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“…Currently, the literature suggesting a negative link between digital technology engagement and mental health is decidedly mixed and grounded on suboptimal methodologies and data (Dickson et al, 2019;Odgers & Jensen, 2020). That is, the observed associations are typically based on between-persons correlations, which make determining causality and directionality difficult and are susceptible to the influence of confounding observed or unobserved variables (Ophir et al, 2020). Literature reviews by academic, medical, and policy collaborations have highlighted both the low-quality evidence in this space and the need for a longitudinal perspective (Appel et al, 2020;Hawkes, 2019;Viner et al, 2019).…”

Section: Understanding Digital Harmmentioning

confidence: 99%

There Is No Evidence That Associations Between Adolescents’ Digital Technology Engagement and Mental Health Problems Have Increased

Vuorre

Orben

Przybylski

2021

Clinical Psychological Science

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Digital technology is ubiquitous in modern adolescence, and researchers are concerned that it has negative impacts on mental health that, furthermore, increase over time. To investigate whether technology is becoming more harmful, we examined changes in associations between technology engagement and mental health in three nationally representative samples. Results were mixed across types of technology and mental health outcomes: Technology engagement had become less strongly associated with depression in the past decade, but social-media use had become more strongly associated with emotional problems. We detected no changes in five other associations or differential associations by sex. There is therefore little evidence for increases in the associations between adolescents’ technology engagement and mental health. Information about new digital media has been collected for a relatively short time; drawing firm conclusions about changes in their associations with mental health may be premature. We urge transparent and credible collaborations between scientists and technology companies.

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New-Media Screen Time Is Not (Necessarily) Linked to Depression: Comments on Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, and Martin (2018)

Cited by 32 publications

References 11 publications

The Turker Blues: Hidden Factors Behind Increased Depression Rates Among Amazon’s Mechanical Turkers

The Turker Blues: Hidden Factors Behind Increased Depression Rates Among Amazon’s Mechanical Turkers

The Sisyphean Cycle of Technology Panics

There Is No Evidence That Associations Between Adolescents’ Digital Technology Engagement and Mental Health Problems Have Increased

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