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Medical Pearls from the Internet Medical Association


Cyberbullying and Facebook Depression are associated with mental health problems in children and young people, but no cause and effect relationship has been proven. The authors recommend more research into this area.

Comment: The authors raise an important statistical fact: association does not equal causation. There is conflicting evidence regarding the benefits versus cons of social media. Benefits include greater social interactions along with less loneliness for the elderly and isolated. Cons include negative self-esteem and mood disorders, primarily in younger users. While these observations are interesting, the authors rightly point out that no cause and effect relationships have been scientifically proven.



J Paediatr Child Health. 2015 Dec;51(12):1152-7    (retrieved Sep, 2016). There are currently 1090 pearls in the database. While every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy, mistakes can and do occur. Use databank at your own risk. All pearls © 2024 by the Internet Medical Association. Click Here to view more medical pearls.