The intensive use of social networks is harming the well-being of young people on a global scale, underlines the annual report on happiness published Thursday under the aegis of the United Nations, and of which Finland comes first for the ninth consecutive year.
The link between social media use and well-being is highlighted in this report as many countries consider imposing restrictions on young people’s use of social media.
“Dramatic declines” in happiness levels were recorded among those under 25 in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and “particularly among girls,” the report said.
On the other hand, an increase in the average level of declared happiness among young people is emerging in other regions of the world.
“Most young people around the world are happier today than they were 20 years ago, and it’s a trend that deserves our attention,” Jon Clifton, managing director of Gallup, who contributed to the report, said in a statement.
The impact of social media use on well-being is “complex,” the report notes.
Influential factors include time spent on social media platforms, the type of platform, how it is used, and demographic factors such as gender and socioeconomic status.
“Heavy use is associated with significantly lower well-being, but those who deliberately turn away from social media also seem to miss out on some positive effects,” says Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, one of the report’s authors, professor of economics at the University of Oxford and director of its Center for Wellbeing Research.
Among the 147 countries listed, the lowest levels of life satisfaction were recorded in Afghanistan where the Taliban leaders, who returned to power in 2021, are accused of human rights violations and mistreatment of women.
Calculated over a three-year average, the happiness index takes into account six factors, including GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity and perception of corruption.
The Nordic countries continue to dominate the top of the rankings, with Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway joining Finland to occupy five of the top six spots this year.
Costa Rica ranks fourth, entering the top 5 for the first time and achieving the highest ranking ever achieved by a Latin American country. France comes in 35th place (33rd in 2025).
For the first time, no English-speaking country appears in the top 10 since the report was first published in 2012.
Untouched nature
Finland retained its first place with a score of 7.764 out of 10.
Juho Saari, professor of social and health policy at the University of Tampere, said Finland still faces challenges, including record unemployment and deep cuts in social benefits.
“Despite all this, we are happy,” he told AFP.
“It shows us that politics doesn’t matter that much,” he added, explaining that people’s private lives were a determining factor.
Known for its thousands of lakes, sauna culture and highly developed welfare system, the country of 5.6 million people has high levels of trust in authorities and low levels of inequality.
“We have untouched nature, and the peace and quiet here is probably our biggest asset as to why it’s good to live here,” says Karolina Iissalo, 30, met while celebrating her birthday in a public sauna in downtown Helsinki.
