The effect of broadband Internet on the gender gap in mental health: Evidence from Germany.

Abstract

Mental health disorders are among the leading causes of disease burden worldwide. Recently, attention has been drawn to the Internet and social media as determinants of the increase in mental health conditions in recent years. In this paper, I analyze the causal effect of broadband Internet access on the mental health of adults. I leverage confidential information on the coordinates of respondents to the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) and exploit technological features of the German telecommunication network to instrument for broadbandInternet access. The results are suggestive that broadband Internet leads to worse mental health for women (primarily those aged 17-30) but not for men, thus widening the gender gap in mental disorders. Looking at sub-facets of mental health, broadbandaccess leads to a worsening of socializing behavior and ability to cope with emotional problems. The fact that the results are concentrated among the younger cohorts of women is suggestive that high Internet usage intensity amplifies the negative effect of broadbandinternet access on mental health.