Just tagging you as you commented about NSPCC research, Just found this article (not by them) but interesting conclusions with regard to social media and mental health, I need to read this more fully.
New study challenges social media's mental health impact
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/11/241106132656.htm
I think this is perhaps a good point "so what this research could be flagging is how long we spend on social media might matter less for mental health, as opposed to how we're using it and engaging with it."
Some things to consider is that most participants were female and it seems that most had enough knowledge to study in university (it is not clear what percentage this is). One could hypothesize that individuals who are fit to study are predisposed to have more control over their attention. Though all correlations were mild, thus more studies are required.
Original study:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953624008542?via%3Dihub
