Social media blamed for sharp decline in young people’s happiness | World News

Excessive use of social media has led to a sharp decline in happiness among the younger generation, according to a major academic study.

Fifteen-year-old girls who use social media more than five hours a day are the group most likely to experience decreased life satisfaction, the 2026 edition of the World Happiness Report says.

This annual study published by Oxford University asks around 1,000 people to rate their lives from 0 to 10 every year.

People aged under 25 in English-speaking countries and Western Europe are also more likely to be unhappy, with scores dropping by almost a point over the past decade.

Researchers found that young people who used social media less than an hour a day reported the highest levels of well-being.

“It’s clear that we have to make every effort to put the ‘social’ back into social media,” said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an Oxford economics professor who heads the Wellbeing Research Centre.

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The researchers noted that in some parts of the world, such as the Middle East and South America, the relationship between social media use and well-being is more positive – and young people’s well-being does not decline despite heavy social media use.

Finland was named the happiest country in the world for the ninth year in a row – while fellow Nordic countries Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway all ranked in the top 10.

The UK is ranked 29th – unchanged from last year when the country hit its lowest point since the World Happiness Report began collecting data.

England’s best ranking came nine years ago when it was ranked 13th, in 2019.

The new entry to the top five on the list is Costa Rica, which rose to fourth place this year after climbing the rankings from 23rd in 2023.

“We think this is due to the quality of their social life and the stability they currently enjoy,” De Neve added.

“Latin America in general has strong family ties, strong social ties, a large level of social capital, as sociologists call it, higher than anywhere else.”

Meanwhile, the dominance of the Nordic countries is due to a combination of wealth distribution, welfare and healthy life expectancy.

President of Finland Alexander Stubb it says: “I don’t think there is a magic potion, but it will help if we have a society that strives towards freedom, equality and justice.”