I've actually got to wonder if part of it is the disappearance of frontier-type online spaces in favor of corporate real-name social media. Spending "too much"

I've actually got to wonder if part of it is the disappearance of frontier-type online spaces in favor of corporate real-name social media. Spending "too much" time online used to be a refuge that allowed you to be a completely different person - IRC, forums, etc. I'd say that most people who grew up online 20-30 years ago view the digital world as a welcome escape. Now that outlet has been replaced by a digital version of the exact same inescapable social matrix from school. Perhaps this theory is less supported by the observed effect being greater on girls (at first glance one would think a frontier would be more important to boys). But on the other hand psuedonymity allowed everyone to have personas not tied to gender, and perhaps girls actually need the escape more.