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"Do people connect in meaningful ways online? Or are they simply consuming trivial updates... at the expense of time with loved ones?"

These questions, in themselves, are not very surprising. But now a blog post considering the problems with Facebook has made headlines around the world. Why? It was published by Facebook itself.

It is the first time the company has publicly acknowledged that its product might be bad for people.

In the post, two Facebook researchers considered the evidence. On the one hand, Facebook users who read the site more oftenAccording to a study by University of California San Diego and Yale, those who liked twice as many posts, or clicked on four times as many links as the average user, also had worse mental health than average. also report worse mental health, and it has been linked with an "increase in teen depression". Earlier this year, one researcherPsychologist Jean M. Twenge. Read more under Become An Expert. said technology in general has pushed young people to the "brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades".

The reasons for this are unclear, but many blame social media for encouraging people to compare themselves to a false image of others' lives. Technology also stands accused of making people feel "alone together" by distracting them from real-life relationships.

However, Facebook argues that this is not the whole picture. The worst effects occur when people use the site "passively", it says. A group of students assigned to read Facebook for ten minutes ended up feeling worse by the end of the day. But a group who were told to talk to people fared much better.

"It really comes down to how you use the technology," Facebook insisted. Chatting to friends, or even looking back at your ownAccording to a study at Cornell, Facebook users look at their own profile to satisfy their "need for self-worth and self-integrity". posts, can be good for you.

The blog post came a few days after a former Facebook executive accused the site of "ripping apart" society. It is also the end of a long year in which Facebook had to reckon with the spread of fake newsAfter the 2016 election, BuzzFeed Newsfound that the top 20 hoax news stories spread further on Facebook than the top 20 election stories from mainstream news sites., interference from RussiaThe largest country in the world by area. It has a population of 144 million people., and a series of violent incidentsFor example, in April a man in Thailand killed his daughter, and then himself, on Facebook Live. that were broadcast on the site.

In the wake of this, Mark Zuckerberg has said that his new focus is on bringing the world "closer together" and that protecting people "is more important than maximising our profits".

Can using Facebook really make you happier?

Yes, say some. It may sound silly to advise people who are depressed by social media to use it more often. But there are ways in which it can improve your mood. Instead of enviously stalking a frenemy, try reaching out to someone you love or revisiting some happy memories. In the end, it is all about your own attitude.

Rubbish, argue others. Of course Facebook would say that; a company would never advise its customers to stop using its product. But social media is designed to make you addicted to it; it cannot be its own cure. If technology makes you feel low, there is only one solution: log off, go outside, and reconnect with the real world.