Snowflake Inc. gave a sales outlook for the current quarter that fell short of expectations, suggesting that many

California regulators approved a proposal to inject more natural gas at Sempra Energy’s Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage

There is no evidence to suggest using Facebook is detrimental to wellbeing, Oxford scientists have said, challenging the view that the social media platform is linked to psychological harm. Researchers from the University of Oxford’s Oxford Internet Institute analysed data from nearly a million people across 72 countries over 12 years – in the largest study of its kind – to understand more about the impact of Facebook on wellbeing. Professor Andrew Przybylski, who co-led the research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, said: “We examined the best available data carefully – and found they did not support the idea that Facebook membership is related to harm – quite the opposite. “In fact, our analysis indicates Facebook is possibly related to positive well-being.” The research looked at Facebook data from 2008 to 2019, going back to when the platform was in its early stages. “We examined 72 countries’ per capita active Facebook users in males and females in two age brackets, 13-34 years and 35+ years,” the researchers said. The results also showed the association between using Facebook and wellbeing was slightly more positive for males as well as for younger people. It was generally the case that there were positive associations between country-level Facebook uptake and mental wellbeing Prof Peter Etchells Writing in the research paper, the authors said: “Although reports of negative psychological outcomes associated with social media are common in academic and popular writing, evidence for harms is, on balance, more speculative than conclusive.” Professor Matti Vuorre, also of the Oxford Internet Institute, who co-led the study, said: “Our findings should help guide the debate surrounding social media towards more empirical research foundations. “We need more transparent collaborative research between independent scientists and the technology industry to better determine how, when and why modern online platforms might be affecting their users.” Commenting on the study, Peter Etchells, professor of psychology and science communication at Bath Spa University, said: “This is a fascinating study that attempts to link Facebook uptake with measures of mental wellbeing in a broad-strokes manner, using data from over 70 countries. “Contrary to popular sentiment, the researchers didn’t find a negative association between the two; instead, it was generally the case that there were positive associations between country-level Facebook uptake and mental wellbeing. “To my mind, the value in this study lies in proof of principle – it demonstrates that it’s possible to leverage industry data to address meaningful questions about how digital technology interacts with our mental health.” But Prof Etchells said there were some caveats associated with the findings – which the study authors have addressed. He said: “This is a descriptive study, and as such cannot tell us anything about causation – that is, we don’t know how, if, or to what extent, changes in Facebook adoption drive changes in mental wellbeing. “Wellbeing is a complex phenomenon, and even in the context of social media use, we need to be careful drawing any firm conclusions by looking at how people use a single platform such as Facebook.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ozzy Osbourne PlayStation tweet which failed to reveal link to Sony banned Harry and Meghan ring young online innovators after funding awards James Bulger’s mother condemns ‘disgusting’ AI clips on TikTok of murdered son

The Dow and S&P 500 indexes opened higher on Monday, with shares of PacWest leading a rally among

A major retrospective opens in London this weekend into "Coco" Chanel, exploring her 60-year career that transformed women's wardrobes, and with new revelations...

Billy Miller went on to act in 'The Young and the Restless' from 2008 to 2014 after starring in 'All My Children' from 2007 to 2008

English Heritage is preparing to unveil its 1,000th blue plaque, the famous discs that dot the walls of buildings throughout London to mark the places where scientists, artists, politicians and activists have made history

Declan Rice is turning into one of the biggest stories of the transfer window

In a rejection of early moves by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who took office in January, Brazil’s Congress has stripped powers from the new Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, both led by women environmentalists

BEIJING The 10th China-EU High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue will be held in Beijing on Sept. 25, the

Jimmy Butler scored 36 points to help the Miami Heat shake off a slow start and beat the Brooklyn Nets 122-115 on Thursday, pushing their...

Facts and figures for the 123rd U.S. Open that starts Thursday at Los Angeles Country Club