Overview
- Life evaluations for under‑25s in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have dropped by nearly one point over the past decade, contrasting with gains for young people in many other regions.
- Usage dose stands out: fifteen‑year‑old girls reporting more than five hours a day on social media show the steepest declines, while under one hour a day correlates with the highest well‑being even relative to no use.
- Effects vary by platform and region, with communication‑focused services linked to better outcomes and algorithmically curated, visual platforms linked to worse outcomes at high use; youth declines were not observed in several Middle Eastern and Latin American countries despite heavy use.
- Finland tops the rankings for a ninth year, Costa Rica climbs to fourth, and no English‑speaking country makes the top 10 for a second straight year, with New Zealand 11th, Australia 15th, the United States 23rd, Canada 25th and the United Kingdom 29th.
- Policy responses are accelerating after Australia raised the minimum age for multiple platforms to 16 in late 2025, with countries such as Denmark, France and Spain weighing similar steps, as the report—based on 2023–25 Gallup Cantril Ladder data—guides regulators to act with high‑quality evidence.