A new World Happiness Report has revealed that heavy social media use is generally linked to lower life satisfaction among young people, particularly in English-speaking countries, although moderate use may offer some benefits.
The report highlights a notable drop in youth wellbeing across countries grouped as NANZ—North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Similar trends were observed in the United Kingdom and Ireland, though to a lesser degree.
According to the findings, access to the internet via mobile phones tends to improve life satisfaction globally. However, this pattern does not hold in NANZ countries, where the relationship was found to be strongly negative. The UK and Ireland also recorded a negative association, though less pronounced.
Researchers, using data from 47 countries in the 2022 PISA survey, found that limited internet use—less than one hour daily—was associated with higher life satisfaction compared to no usage at all. In contrast, excessive use, particularly for social media, gaming, and casual browsing, was linked to reduced wellbeing, with girls more affected than boys.
Interestingly, the report found no consistent link between the number of hours spent on social media and overall youth happiness across countries. Regions with similar usage levels showed significant differences in wellbeing outcomes.
Instead, the report suggests that how social media is used is more important than how much time is spent on it. For example, data from Latin America showed that platforms focused on communication and social interaction had more positive effects than those driven by algorithm-based content.
The findings support the “Goldilocks hypothesis,” which suggests that moderate engagement yields the best outcomes. At balanced levels of use, young people reported higher life satisfaction, better academic performance, and a stronger sense of belonging, while excessive use led to declines in these areas.
The study also found that a strong sense of belonging at school has a much greater impact on life satisfaction than social media use.
The report calls for closer attention to how social media platforms are designed and used, warning that both misuse and platform structure can influence youth wellbeing. It emphasises the need to encourage healthier online habits and strengthen offline social connections to improve outcomes for young people.
As digital technologies and online behaviours continue to evolve rapidly, the report stresses that understanding these dynamics is becoming increasingly critical.
