International
It offers connection, but also doomscrolling and cyberbullying, so heated debate has raged over whether the internet has helped or hindered our well-being. Now, a study of over 2.4 million people in 168 countries has found that people who have access to the internet and who actively use it report higher levels of life satisfaction, well-being and positive experiences. The researchers tested how robust these findings were using computer simulations that accounted for a range of other things that could also explain this link, such as income levels, and education. They found a positive link between being online and higher well-being largely remained. The only exception they found was in young women aged 15-24, where internet use was linked to poorer community well-being, which the authors say aligns with previous reports of increased cyberbullying and links between social media use and depressive symptoms.
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