Facebook defends itself against critics of social media

Facebook is spending $1 million on research into the relationship among technology, youth development and well-being

Facebook on Friday struck back against scientific researchers and tech industry insiders who have criticised the world’s biggest social media network and its competitors for transforming how people behave and express emotion.

Facebook, in a corporate blog post, said that social media can be good for people’s well-being if they use the technology in a way that is active, such as messaging with friends, rather than passive, such as scrolling through a feed of other people’s posts.

It was the second time this week that Facebook had published such a rebuttal, signalling a new willingness to defend a business model