Problematic social media use is associated with a lower wellbeing among adolescents, and this effect is stronger among youth from more disadvantaged socioeconomic environments. This is one of the main conclusions of a new international study led by the UAB and the CED which forms part of the World Happiness Report 2026, published today by the United Nations (Chapter 7). The analysis includes data from over 330,000 adolescents from 43 countries.
The largest problems are detected in Anglo-Celtic countries (Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom), whereas Spain is listed in the group of countries in which there is a less problematic use.
A team led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics (CED), in which researchers from the University of Barcelona and the University of Turku, were also involved, published today an international study on problematic social media use and adolescent wellbeing, and how this relation is linked to social inequalities in 43 countries. The research forms part of the World Happiness Report 2026, an international publication launched today by the United Nations, promoted by the Wellbeing Research Centre of Oxford University, in collaboration with Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Chapter 7 of this year's World Happiness Report, entitled "Problematic social media use and adolescent wellbeing: the role of family socioeconomic status across 43 countries" and led by UAB lecturer in Sociology and CED researcher Pablo Gracia, provides a particularly relevant perspective in highlighting that the effects of problematic social media use are not the same in all population groups, but are rather influenced by social inequalities. Also participating in the study were UAB and CED researchers Maria Rubio-Cabañez and Beyda Cineli, UB researcher Roger Fernández-Urbano, and University of Turku researcher Şeyma Çelik.
The data on which the project is based stems from one of the main international surveys on the health and wellbeing of pre-adolescents and adolescents (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children, HBSC), which analyses information gathered in 2018 and 2022 for kids aged 11 to 16. The analysis includes data from over 330,000 adolescents from 43 countries, obtained through representative school surveys in education centres with harmonised methodologies across countries.
The results show that, in the 43 countries analysed, problematic social media use is associated with greater psychological distress and a worse overall life evaluation. In other words, adolescents who present more compulsive, addictive or deregulated patterns of digital use also tend to show worse indicators of subjective wellbeing. Specifically, an increase in problematic use is associated with an approximate increase of 0.16 points in psychological complaints, and a decrease of about 0.19 points in life satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10, which corresponds to approximately a 10% increase in psychological complaints and a reduction of about 3% in life satisfaction.
Not everyone is affected equally
One of the most important findings is that this relation between problematic social media use and distress does not affect everyone equally. Adolescents from families with less socioeconomic resources are the most vulnerable. In comparison, adolescents with more resources show an approximately 5-10% weaker association between problematic use and psychological complaints, and an approximately 10–13% reduction in the negative relationship between problematic use and life satisfaction. These results suggest that families with more resources may have more material, educational, and relational tools to cushion the risks associated with the problematic use of social media.
Important regional differences
The research also detects relevant regional differences. The strongest associations between problematic social media use and lower wellbeing are observed in Anglo-Celtic countries, such as Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. In contrast, the links are weaker in the Caucasus and Black Sea region, which includes countries such as Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. At the same time, the study finds that socioeconomic inequalities in the relationship between problematic use and wellbeing are clear in many European regions, but relatively weak in Mediterranean countries, such as Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus. Spain is among the group of countries where the relationship between problematic use of networks and reduced wellbeing is lower, ranking 40th out of 43 countries in terms of psychological complaints and 31st in terms of life evaluation.
Another relevant result is that the negative association between problematic social media use and adolescent wellbeing intensified between 2018 and 2022. This worsening is observed in most regions and for all socioeconomic groups studied, which points to a general deterioration in the adolescent digital context in recent years, and specifically in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UAB lecturer and main author of the study, Pablo Gracia, defends the "need to advance towards more equitable digital environments using a combination of platform regulations, family support, digital education in schools and accessible mental health services". He points out that the goal is for all adolescents, regardless of their social origin, to be able to relate to the digital world in a way that is safe and compatible with their wellbeing.
The study forms part of the DIGINEQ research project, also led by Pablo Gracia and funded by the European Research Council's Consolidator Grant Award.
World Happiness Report
This research led by the UAB and the CED is part of the 14th edition of the World Happiness Report 2026, published today by the United Nations, which concludes that the intensive use of social networks appears to be contributing to the decline in wellbeing among young people in English-speaking countries (United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) and Western Europe, especially among girls.
The evidence paints a complex global picture at a time when many countries are looking to implement greater legislative protections online for minors younger than 16.
The findings are published today, one day before International Day of Happiness.
