Some people say Haidt is wrong and point out that he has only shown correlation not causation. Please explain why Haidt does think he has found causation.

Written by Administrator on 12 February 2025. Posted in Wonders.

While some researchers may disagree with Jonathan Haidt's conclusions, arguing that his work primarily demonstrates correlation rather than causation, Haidt believes there is evidence to support causal links between social media use and the rise in anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues among adolescents.

Haidt addresses the correlation versus causation issue by referencing experiments that show reducing social media use leads to a reduction in loneliness and depression.

One study example, college students were assigned to reduce their social media use, and they showed significant reductions in loneliness and depression compared to the control group.
Another study had teen girls exposed to selfies on Instagram, some in their original state and others modified to appear more attractive. The study found that exposure to the manipulated photos led to lower body image.

Haidt also notes converging evidence from multiple sources bolsters the argument for causation:

Correlational Studies: Many studies show a consistent link between heavy social media use and mental illness, particularly for girls.
Longitudinal Studies: Some studies demonstrate that high social media use at one point in time predicts sleep problems and worse mental health later on.
International Data: Mental health data from multiple countries reveal similar patterns of increased anxiety and depression among adolescents, coinciding with the rise of smartphone use.
Group Dynamics: The rapid transformation of group dynamics, referred to as the "Great Rewiring of Childhood" further supports the idea of a causal relationship. This perspective considers the broader impact of social media on adolescent development, rather than solely focusing on individual-level effects.

Haidt acknowledges that some studies have failed to find evidence of harm. However, he and Jean Twenge reanalyzed some of these data sets and found significant correlations between social media use and poor mental health for girls when focusing specifically on social media use rather than broader digital technology use.

It's worth noting that Haidt is curating a collaborative review document with Jean Twenge and Zach Rausch that organizes hundreds of studies on social media, categorized by whether they find evidence of harm or not. As of 2023, a significant majority of the included RCT (randomized controlled trial) studies indicate evidence of harm. Haidt argues that some experiments that did not find evidence of harm asked participants to give up social media for a short time, which he believes is not sufficient for observing benefits. He suggests at least three weeks are needed for the brain to reset and overcome withdrawal cravings.