The evidence is more mixed as to whether cell phones increase teen depression, especially girls

All I'm seeing is a screen shot showing a portion of an article. It seems to indicate very exclusive sampling.

"But in one place where it has been studied systematically, New Jersey, where 90 % of children had health coverage even before the A.C.A. . . ."

Also, the notion that cell phones cause depression is flawed. Cell phones are the catalyst; it's all the crap available on them, as well as the extent of involvement one has with that crap, that causes widespread anxiety, depression, etc. If the reception of a text or SM post, etc. causes release of dopamine in the brain (it does), there might be a problem.

Although not as intense as hit of cocaine, positive social stimuli will similarly result in a release of dopamine, reinforcing whatever behavior preceded it. Cognitive neuroscientists have shown that rewarding social stimuli—laughing faces, positive recognition by our peers, messages from loved ones—activate the same dopaminergic reward pathways. Smartphones have provided us with a virtually unlimited supply of social stimuli, both positive and negative. Every notification, whether it’s a text message, a “like” on Instagram, or a Facebook notification, has the potential to be a positive social stimulus and dopamine influx.

Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time - Science in the News

The piece above is several years old, but there are countless others advocating for less screen time. Here's my most recent anecdote: Last night I was listening to an extraordinary piece of music - meaningful in many ways, including having heard it performed live by a world-class ensemble. After listening, I checked a social media platform and it was like my brain went from "ta-da!" to "dur-dur." It was all too obvious which activity was intellectually rewarding and which activity was a brain drain. And with that, I'm going to depart for a time to play some trumpet.

 

With smart phones and the internet for which they're used there are many different things which could be studied and written about. Depression caused by the stimuli generated through use of the phone is just one of them. (Addiction is another.) The fact that it may not be an epidemic does not mean depression is not a consequence of cell phone use.

 

Wish that they would spend more time studying the impact of bad parenting on depression of teenagers.

 

I'm trying to interpret this quote from the author:

The overall suicide rate for teens has gone up at the same rate as the suicide rate for adults. (Although the suicide rate for teen girls has gone up more than the rate for adult women.) This suggests a primary cause other than cell phones.

They appear to suggest that because adult suicide rates increased overall the same as teens, that cell phones were not the primary issue. How did they reach that conclusion? There appears to be a disconnect. The graph also shows a striking increase in teen suicide rates from 2007 - 2017. Obviously, that statistic would be attributed to a number of factors. The increase, though, is alarming.

 

So because adults have issues too, social media isn't a prob for teens? I think it's a flawed inference.

 

It's not like adults (18 and over?) aren't also addicted to cell phones and, therefore, also susceptible to depression based upon what they read and see. Hell, online reports that Trump leads in the polls depresses me!

 

Exactly. And then there's the issuance of suicide as THE dependent variable, which delimits the study. Problematic should some people view this and claim that cell phone usage is not a distinct concern for teens.