The 2026 World Happiness Report, produced by Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Centre in partnership with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Gallup, and an independent editorial board, has found that wellbeing among under-25s is declining across English-speaking countries.
The report, published in March ahead of the UN’s International Day of Happiness, highlights that the trend is most pronounced among girls. For the second consecutive year, no English-speaking country ranks in the top ten happiest countries, with the UK placed 29th.
Heavy social media use is emphasised as associated with lower life satisfaction. Whilst correlation between social media use and wellbeing is established, causation remains tentative. One international survey of 15-year-olds in nearly 50 countries associated heavy social media use with a significant drop in well-being. However, the relationship isn’t straightforward: another study cited in the report found that young people who use social media for less than one hour per day report the highest level of wellbeing, higher than those who fully abstain. The World Happiness Report acknowledges there is less consensus on a causal link between social media use and wellbeing.
The report distinguishes between ‘harmful’ and ‘healthy’ use of social media. Barry Grimes, production editor of the report, told Cherwell that platforms “designed for passive consumption of algorithmic content”, such as TikTok, tend to be negatively associated with wellbeing. By contrast, platforms promoting social connection, such as WhatsApp, are associated with more positive outcomes. Grimes added that “young people should reduce the time they spend on social media and prioritise the ‘social’ over the ‘media’”.
The findings raise questions about how best to regulate social media use. Grimes told Cherwell that “new policy interventions must be evidence-based to reduce the risk of unintentional harm”. Emerging evidence from Australia and the UK’s pilot schemes in the coming months will provide insight into how to regulate social media use effectively.
