However, the research had a big caveat. As the BBC noted:

The review did not look at lower-income countries, or specifically focus on children, young people and those with existing problems, the groups most likely affected, experts say, and risks hiding important effects among disadvantaged groups.

On Twitter, multiple readers pointed out that the research appears to have excluded many of the very people whose mental health seems likely to be most affected. (The study itself acknowledges this, noting in the abstract: “High risk of bias in many studies and substantial heterogeneity suggest caution in interpreting results.”)

Additionally, other research ― some of it previously reported by the BBC ― has found evidence of significant mental health effects stemming from the pandemic. A World Health Organization report from last year, for instance, found that in the pandemic’s first year, anxiety and depression increased by 25% globally.

While some Twitter users were quick to point out flaws with the latest study’s conclusion (the BBC’s tweet now has an “added context” note amended to it), others took a blackly humorous approach. Many people used the headline as a jumping-off point to talk about moments early in the pandemic where things got especially strange.