'No evidence' Facebook harms well-being: global study

Researchers on the project, which began before the Covid pandemic, worked for more than two years to secure the key data from Facebook, which currently reports nearly three billion users worldwide. — Photo by Robyn BECK/AFP

LONDON: There is "no evidence" that the growth in using Facebook led to "widespread psychological harm", the largest independent scientific study on the topic concluded Wednesday, contradicting previous analyses and widespread perceptions.

The probe by the University of Oxford's Internet Institute, which analysed data from nearly 1 million people across 72 countries over 12 years, instead found "positive correlations" between adopting the social media platform and so-called well-being indicators.