Our own research
We have a study of our own. Here is why it is not on the front page.
Who wrote it
The founder of Human Digital Intelligence wrote it as part of his doctoral work. That is a conflict of interest, and we say so first.
What was done
227 employed adults answered two questionnaires at one point in time: one on the pull of social media, one on being present at work but not fully there.
The questionnaire on the pull of social media was the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, a published six-item instrument.
What it found
What it found, in words: the stronger the pull of social media, the harder people found it to hold their attention against interruptions at work.
It did not find that they finished less work.
Neither age nor gender changed the picture.
What it cannot say
What it cannot say: one sample, one moment, self-reported answers. It shows that the two go together, not that one causes the other.
Where it stands
The study has not yet been peer reviewed. It is being prepared for journal submission. The manuscript is available on request.
No claim on this website rests on this study. It tells us where to look first; it does not tell you what will happen in your workplace.
It is here because we would rather show you what we have than hint at it.
What we take from it
What we take from it is a question, not a result: if a person's phone habit loosens, do pieces of the day come back - for their work, or for themselves? We do not know yet. The second test after six weeks is how each workplace looks for its own answer.
What others found
Across 41 studies of young people, those whose phone use had grown into a problem carried about three times the odds of depression and of anxiety. Almost all of those studies look at one moment in time, so they show the pattern, and the direction is still being worked out.
When Facebook arrived on American campuses, one college at a time, students' mental health worsened in step with its arrival, and the evidence fits unfavourable comparison with others as one reason.
Large studies of hundreds of thousands of young people find only small links between everyday screen use and how they feel, and they leave open which comes first.
The young people in those studies are at work now, or on their way there. That is why we measure where each person stands instead of assuming.
The debate is open and both sides are worth reading: the researchers who see a generation harmed by its phones, and those who find the effect small and the direction unproven.
- Sohn, Rees, Wildridge, Kalk, Carter (2019). Prevalence of problematic smartphone usage and associated mental health outcomes amongst children and young people. BMC Psychiatry. doi:10.1186/s12888-019-2350-x
- Braghieri, Levy, Makarin (2022). Social media and mental health. American Economic Review. doi:10.1257/aer.20211218
- Orben, Przybylski (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nature Human Behaviour. doi:10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1
- Odgers, Jensen (2020). Adolescent mental health in the digital age: facts, fears, and future directions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. doi:10.1111/jcpp.13190
- Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, Martin (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science. doi:10.1177/2167702617723376
- Heffer, Good, Daly, MacDonell, Willoughby (2019). The longitudinal association between social-media use and depressive symptoms among adolescents and young adults. Clinical Psychological Science. doi:10.1177/2167702618812727
What we would not print
Every page sells. This one also shows what it would not print. Each sentence below was printed or proposed, and struck because it was not true or could not be shown.
"Scientifically validated."The model rests on published work. It has not been validated, so we do not say it."No number follows you around."Your report does print numbers. They summarise your own answers and are not sent to anyone. A workplace sees only a group picture, unless you choose to share yours."Adults only."The app does not check age. We say what is true: written for adults."Nobody's answers reach you."In a very small group, answers could be guessed. The rule that protects each person is being built; it will be written here the day it is proven, and on the privacy page.
The paper, the pencil and the warmth are deliberate. When the phone is the problem, the answer should not glow.