Safer environments, knowledge, positive communities, meaningful achievements and healthy habits belong together. Technology should leave room for real life.
50.6% of respondents to the social-media questions were classified as problematic users in an RSU study using a self-perceived-problems scale. Girls were more likely to fall into this group.
Ozoliņa and Gobiņa’s 2023 publication used 2019 ESPAD data from 2,743 Latvian adolescents. Their 2025 conference abstract uses a sample of 2,726 and also reports 50.6%; publication dates are not survey dates.
Ozoliņa & Gobiņa · RSU · 2023 ↗WHO/HBSC reported problematic social-media use rising from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022. The 2022 study covered ages 11, 13 and 15 in 44 countries and regions across Europe, central Asia and Canada.
Research discusses associations with anxiety, depression and substance-use risk. An association does not establish that social media directly caused an outcome.
The takeaway is to take problematic use seriously while keeping the evidence in context. This research does not establish that viafactor prevents or treats mental-health conditions.
Bezborodovs and Villeruša (2023) examine mental-health difficulties using Latvian HBSC data from 2017/2018. Together, these sources provide context for healthier digital habits.
Viafactor does not use an endless feed. Clear stopping points make it easier to take a break and return to life away from the screen.
Viafactor does not display friend totals or like counts. Friendship and self-worth should not become a popularity contest.
These design choices aim to reduce pressure to keep scrolling and comparing popularity, supporting children’s wellbeing. APA’s research review highlights risks linked to infinite scrolling and popularity metrics; it does not establish that removing them prevents addiction or mental-health difficulties.
APA · 2024 ↗Get to know the thinking behind viafactor.