Attempting to reach expert consensus about teens and phones ends in argument

An attempt to reach a scientific consensus on the potential injuries that smartphones and social media in young people have fallen into an argument among scientists. This failed consensus suggests that it will be difficult for decision makers to lean on existing evidence when deciding how to regulate such technologies.

Valerio Capraro at the University of Milan-Bicocca in Italy and more than 100 colleagues withdrawing from 11 different disciplines have published a “consensus statement” about the potential negative effects of smartphone use on young people. “We have followed the discussion about the debate, and we thought we might try to find a common group between different views,” says Capraro.

The researchers analyzed 26 detailed allegations of the use of smartphone’s influence on the teens’ mental health, such as heavy use of phones can cause sleep deprivation or behavior dependence. These allegations were pulled off The anxious generation By Jonathan Haidt at New York University, a book that has had an impact on the debate on smartphones, but also Heavoy criticized by some researchers. Haidt himself is also co -author of Stément.

Each researcher then assessed the individual whether they agreed with each requirement, as well as the strength of evidence that supports the claims. There was broad agreement on several critical points; 99 per A hundred agreed that Teenal Teenal Health had fallen especially in the United States with similar trends in other Western nations. And 98 per A hundred competitive that heavy smartphone uses properly with sleep disorders. More than 94 percent of those surveyed agreed that young girls encourage special questions, including unnecessarily comparing themselves to peers, feeling the need to look perfect and exposed to online sexual harassment.

However, the experts also agreed with similar high proportions that the proof of these claims is only correlation, not causal. More strict research, including longitudinal studies that track smartphone users over time, would be down to the procedure many agreed. Overall, while more than 90 percent agreed that there was something wrong with young people, only 52 percent supported political actions such as age restrictions and telephone ban in schools.

Despite this warning, the researchers suggest that it should not be an excuse for passivity from decision makers. “Getting a high quality causal certificate of the effectiveness of political decisions often takes years, while decision makers often have to make decisions in rapidly changing environments with limited data,” they wrote.

But scientists who were not involved in the consensus’ rhyme have contested their conclusions, and it has also criticized social media. For example, Pete Etchels at Bath Spa University, UK, points out that only about 120 of the 288 invited experts from across different trains disciplines in the process. He suggests that those who believe that smartphones have a negative impact on young people would be more likely to sign up for a study like this – so to lean the results. “I like to see them explaining potential expert afielding in their data sets,” he says. “I don’t think they’re doing this.”

Etchels, who also has the author of a book on the subject, wonders how these 288 initially private experts were chosen: “I know I was not contacting this at any time. Sonia Livingstone at the London School of Economics also disagrees with the researchers who are chosen to form a consensus.” The long list is meant to give a sense of balance, but it is mainly that shows them on a side of the argument. If science is not balanced, it’s ours, ”she says.

Capraro defends the diversity of the panel and says that “thousands of people are working on these topics around the world” and that “it is not possible to contact them”.

Questions about who attended aside, Livingstone also takes the question with the requirements to investigate. “The problem is that it is a partial set of questions. They ask,” there is also proof [that] Social media can improve mental health or friendship or a feeling of hesitation? “There is also evidence for them,” she says. Capraro says that the purpose of the research was to “take as many views as possible”, we “very discussed topic”.