Social media: Most of recent rigorous studies found weak average associations with well-/ill-being that were close to zero

Valkenburg, Patti M. 2021. “The Effects of Social Media Use on Adult Well-being and Ill-being: What We Know and What We Need to Know.” PsyArXiv. September 6. doi:10.31234/osf.io/nxq8j

Abstract: Research into the impact of social media use (SMU) on well-being (e.g., happiness) and ill-being (e.g., depression) has exploded in the past years. From 2019 to August 2021, 26 reviews have been published: nine meta-analyses, nine systematic reviews, and eight narrative reviews that together included hundreds of empirical studies. The aim of this umbrella review was to synthesize the results of these reviews. Even though the meta-analyses were largely based on the same evidence, they yielded inconsistent effect sizes, especially for time spent on SM, active SMU, and passive SMU. This umbrella review explains why these effects sizes disagree, summarizes the gaps in the literature, and ends with some important recommendations for future reviews and empirical research.