World Happiness Report 2026 Flags Social Media Risk to Youth
Report links heavy social media use to drops in youth well-being; Finland tops rankings for ninth year; Costa Rica climbs to fourth.
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ABC NewsWorld Happiness Report highlights social media's negative impact
Overview
The World Happiness Report 2026, published March 19, said heavy social media use has contributed to a stark decline in well-being among young people, particularly teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe.
The report found life evaluations among under-25s in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have dropped significantly over the past decade, with scores in English-speaking and Western European countries falling by almost one point.
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre and co-editor of the report, said researchers should "put the 'social' back into social media."
Finland ranked first for the ninth consecutive year, followed by Iceland, Denmark, Costa Rica and Sweden in the top five, while the United States placed 23rd and Afghanistan ranked last.
The report said heavy social media use is associated with lower well-being but cannot establish causation and recommended that policy responses be driven by high-quality data rather than sweeping bans.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present the World Happiness Report findings neutrally, reporting data, quotes from researchers and local figures, and methodological caveats. Coverage emphasizes evidence (rankings, survey size, correlations) and notes exceptions (positive links in some regions) rather than using loaded rhetoric or advocating policy, resulting in informational reporting.
FAQ
The report identifies that life evaluations among people under 25 in English-speaking and Western European countries have fallen significantly over the past decade, with scores dropping by almost one point.[3] The research found that platforms with algorithmically curated content show a negative association with wellbeing, while those designed to facilitate social connections demonstrate a positive association with happiness.[3] However, the report emphasizes that while heavy social media use is associated with lower well-being, researchers cannot establish direct causation between social media and declining happiness scores.[3]
The happiness rankings are based on life evaluation scores from the Gallup World Poll, where respondents rate their current lives on a scale from 0 (worst possible life) to 10 (best possible life).[1] National averages are calculated as three-year averages to reduce year-to-year volatility.[1] Beyond these rankings, researchers analyze six key factors associated with differences in life evaluation: income (GDP per capita), social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.[3]
Finland ranked first for the ninth consecutive year with an average life satisfaction score of 7.764 out of 10.[3] While the search results do not provide a detailed breakdown of Finland's specific advantages versus the United States' position at 23rd, the differences in happiness rankings are explained by variations in the six key factors: GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.[3] The report suggests these socioeconomic and social factors account for the substantial variations across nations.[3]
The report recommends that policy responses be driven by high-quality data rather than sweeping bans.[3] Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre, stated that researchers should "put the 'social' back into social media," suggesting that the relationship between social media and wellbeing depends on what platforms are used, who uses them, how they use them, and for how long.[3] This indicates a nuanced approach focused on understanding context rather than implementing broad restrictions.[3]
The Gallup World Poll is a global survey launched in 2005 that serves as the primary data source for the World Happiness Report rankings.[1] It measures life evaluations using nationally representative samples across more than 140 countries and territories, representing the vast majority of the world's adult population.[1][2] The survey uses consistent questions and methodology to enable year-to-year trending and direct country comparisons.[2] Researchers calculate three-year averages of national life evaluation scores to improve comparability and reduce volatility.[1]
