Heavy social media use is causing serious concerns about the well-being of young people, especially teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe. According to the World Happiness Report 2026 from the University of Oxford, these young people have seen their satisfaction with life drop significantly over the last decade.
No surprise here: Finland continues to hold the title of the happiest country for the ninth year in a row. Other Nordic nations like Iceland, Denmark, and Sweden also made it into the top ten. What’s noteworthy is that Costa Rica unexpectedly surged to fourth place, a significant jump from twenty-third in 2023. Experts attribute this rise to strong family and community ties, which contribute to a sense of belonging and happiness.
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an economics professor at Oxford and a co-editor of the report, points out that places with robust social connections also tend to rank higher in happiness. “Latin America, in particular, has strong family ties and social bonds,” he explains, which play a crucial role in overall well-being.
In contrast, regions affected by conflict continue to struggle, with Afghanistan ranked as the unhappiest nation, followed by Sierra Leone and Malawi. The report compiled responses from around 100,000 people in 140 countries, measuring how people rate their own lives on a scale of 0 to 10.
For those under 25 in English-speaking countries, the average life satisfaction score dropped by almost one full point over the past ten years. The report specifically highlights the negative impact of social media, noting that teenage girls who spend over five hours a day online report lower life satisfaction. In contrast, young people who engage with social media for less than one hour daily tend to feel better about their lives. Yet, the average young person spends about 2.5 hours a day on these platforms.
Interestingly, not all regions see the same negative effects. In parts of the Middle East and South America, heavy social media use doesn’t seem to harm youth well-being as much. This difference may be due to cultural factors and how social media is used in these areas.
The report also suggests that platforms designed for social comparison—those featuring influencers and visual content—could be more damaging. Platforms that focus on communication rather than comparison appear to foster better mental health.
Right now, it’s concerning to see that no English-speaking countries are in the top 10. The United States sits at 23rd, Canada at 25th, and the United Kingdom at 29th. Reflecting on the report’s findings, there’s a growing movement worldwide to reconsider social media usage among minors, as many countries explore potential bans.
As we delve deeper into how social media shapes our interactions and mental health, it’s vital to focus on nurturing the “social” aspect of social media. In these digital times, finding balance could be the key to improving well-being.
