Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773878736107berke-citak-0cpyFsSUiSc-unsplash_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">📷༘  Berke Citak, Unsplash</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>HELSINKI, Finland — Heavy social media use is undermining youth wellbeing in many countries, according to a UN-sponsored report published Thursday that put Finland at the top of its &quot;happiness&quot; index for the ninth year running.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2026/1/21/no-more-alter-accounts-dict-studies-social-media-user-verification-1929">No more alter accounts? DICT studies social media user verification</a></div><p>This year&#x27;s World Happiness Report highlighted the impact of social media as many countries impose or mull legislative restrictions on social media use for young people.</p><p>&quot;Dramatic declines&quot; in happiness were recorded among under 25s in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and &quot;especially among girls&quot;, the report said.</p><p>By contrast, young people in other parts of the world felt better about their lives.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/focus/01/04/19/social-media-linked-to-higher-risk-of-depression-in-teen-girls">Social media linked to higher risk of depression in teen girls</a></div><p>&quot;Most of the world&#x27;s young people are happier today than they were 20 years ago, and that&#x27;s a trend that deserves attention,&quot; Jon Clifton, chief executive of Gallup which contributed to the report, said in a statement.</p><p>Social media has a &quot;complex&quot; affect on wellbeing, the report noted.</p><p>Impacting factors included time spent on social media sites, the type of platform, how it was used, as well as demographic factors such as gender and socio-economic status.</p><p>&quot;Heavy usage is associated with much lower wellbeing, but those deliberately off social media also appear to be missing out on some positive effects,&quot; said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, one of the report&#x27;s editors and an economics professor at Oxford University and director of its Wellbeing Research Centre.</p><p>Among 147 countries listed, the lowest levels of life satisfaction were reported from war-torn Afghanistan, where Taliban rulers, who returned to power in 2021, have been accused of human rights violations and mistreatment of women.</p><p>Based on a three-year average, the happiness index considers six factors: GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.</p><p>Nordic nations continue to dominate the rankings, with Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway joining Finland in taking five of the top six spots this year.</p><p>Costa Rica ranked fourth, entering the top five for the first time and the highest ranking ever for a Latin American country.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;PRISTINE NATURE&#x27; </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Finland kept its top position with a score of 7.764 on a 10-point scale.</p><p>Juho Saari, a social and healthcare policy professor at Tampere University, noted that Finland had challenges with record high unemployment and large cuts of social and welfare benefits but said &quot;despite of all this, we are still the happiest country in the world&quot;.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/12/04/23/social-media-addiction-how-can-we-avoid-it">Social media addiction: How can we avoid it?</a></div><p>&quot;It tells us that politics do not matter that much,&quot; he added, explaining that people&#x27;s private lives were more important in determining happiness.</p><p>Known for its thousands of lakes, sauna culture and extensive welfare system, the country&#x27;s 5.6 million inhabitants generally report a high level of trust in authorities and low levels of inequality.</p><p>&quot;We have pristine nature, and the peace and quiet here is probably our trump card for why it&#x27;s nice to be here,&quot; said 30-year-old Karolina Iissalo who spent her birthday at a public sauna in downtown Helsinki.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><strong><br/><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6CGA3kiTS8M?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eiT5bjQo-wM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PxOCsyRiSHs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Heavy social media use is undermining youth wellbeing in many countries, according to a UN-sponsored report published Thursday.</p>

Heavy social media use is undermining youth wellbeing in many countries, according to a UN-sponsored report published Thursday.

Social media impacts youth wellbeing: UN happiness report

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Social media impacts youth wellbeing: UN happiness report

Agence France-Presse

Published Mar 19, 2026 08:08 AM PHT

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Updated Mar 19, 2026 08:13 AM PHT

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Helsinki

Finland

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Agence France-Presse

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