The internet is good for you (unless you’re a young woman)

A new study of data from 168 countries published by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) has found that internet use is consistently associated with positive wellbeing.

Researchers analysed data gathered between 2006 and 2021 from two million individuals aged between 15 and 99 worldwide, including from countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. They concluded that people who had internet access or actively used the internet reported higher levels of social wellbeing and life satisfaction. In 85 per cent of cases, there was positive associations between internet connectivity and wellbeing.

Notably, the study did not look at the impacts of social media in particular, but instead assessed the impact of having access to the internet.