What does the World Happiness Report say about social media?

The World Happiness Report suggests that heavy social media usage appears to contribute to a decline in wellbeing among young people, especially girls, and negatively impacts life satisfaction.

How does social media use affect young people in English-speaking countries?

Life evaluations among under 25s in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have dropped dramatically over the last decade, which is contrasted with the general increase in life satisfaction for young people worldwide.

What type of social media content has a negative impact?

Algorithmically-pushed, passively-consumed content, especially influencer-type posts, has a more negative impact on users than platforms that facilitate genuine social connections.

Home / Health / Social Media Hurting Youth Wellbeing, Report Warns

Social Media Hurting Youth Wellbeing, Report Warns

19 Mar

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Summary

Heavy social media use linked to lower wellbeing, especially for girls.
Young people in English-speaking nations show declining life satisfaction.
Algorithmic content negatively impacts users more than social connection.

Social Media Hurting Youth Wellbeing, Report Warns

Heavy social media usage appears to be contributing to a decline in wellbeing among young people, with a particular impact on girls, according to the World Happiness Report released on Thursday, March 19, 2026.

Analysis of data from Gallup and other studies, conducted by a University of Oxford-led team, suggests that passively consumed, algorithmically-pushed content has a more negative effect than platforms fostering genuine social connections. This is evidenced by 15-year-old girls reporting lower life satisfaction when using social media for more than five hours daily.

The report noted a dramatic drop in life evaluations among those under 25 in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand over the last decade. Conversely, young people globally saw an increase in life satisfaction during the same period.

Researchers suggest that diminished social support in some English-speaking countries may explain this disparity, as social support is a strong predictor of overall wellbeing.

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