Social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok, which encourage algorithm-driven scrolling, are worse for mental health than platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp, which prioritise social connection, according to an annual barometer of global happiness.
The World Happiness Report found excessive use of social media was causing unhappiness among young people across the world, although the impact was worse in English-speaking countries and western Europe.
Overall happiness levels in the UK were at the lowest level since the report was first published in 2012.
The report, led by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, also found the type of social media used and duration of use had a significant impact on user wellbeing.
A study across 17 countries in Latin America found frequent use of WhatsApp and Facebook was associated with higher life satisfaction, while use of X, Instagram and TikTok – which are more heavily dictated by algorithms and influencer content – led to lower happiness and mental health problems.
Another study in the Middle East and north Africa also found apps that were more passive and visual, often filled with influencer content, were more problematic.
“It suggests we need to put the social back into social media, and nudge both the providers of these platforms, as well as the users, to leverage these tools for social purposes and connecting with real people,” said Prof Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of the Wellbeing Research Centre and an editor of the report.
Research also showed that limited social media use of an hour or less a day led to higher life satisfaction than no social media use at all (excluding people who did not have access to the internet).
“There’s a bit of a Goldilocks proposition here – not too much, not too little. Positive moderate use seems to be optimal,” De Neve said. “But the average social media usage time in the data was not an hour or less, it’s more like two-and-a-half hours.”
De Neve said these findings were particularly relevant in the wake of Australia’s total ban on social media for under-16s, which includes Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X, but excludes messaging apps such as WhatsApp.
“This is really critical – it’s the biggest test of a complete ban of social media for under-16s, and all other countries really should take note of the results and not jump the gun,” he said.
The report includes a ranking of countries by happiness level, and 2026 marked the second year in a row that there were no English-speaking countries in the top 10.
Finland topped the happiness leaderboard for the ninth consecutive year, with the UK in 29th place (down from 23rd last year), the US in 23rd, Australia in 15th and Ireland in 13th.
Costa Rica came in fourth, up from 23rd in 2023, while countries such as Kosovo (16th), Slovenia (18th) and the Czech Republic (20th) all rose up the ranks.
The study, created in conjunction with analytics company Gallup and the UN sustainable development solutions network, found youth happiness varied dramatically across the globe, even in countries where social media is prevalent.
“If you look at somewhere like Lithuania, youth wellbeing is much higher than, say, the US or the UK, and they obviously have access to all these social media platforms too,” De Neve said. “So you can’t just pinpoint only social media, there’s a hell of a lot more going on.
“American youth or British youth will say things such as affordability, anxiety relating to the future of work and having jobs vanish before their eyes, also really concern them.”
