What the World Happiness Report reveals about social media and the world’s happiest country

Social Media Use Linked to Declining Youth Well-being, Report Finds

Heavy social media use is contributing to a significant decline in well-being among young people, with teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe particularly affected, according to the World Happiness Report 2026 released Thursday.

The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, reveals that life evaluations among under-25-year-olds in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have dropped markedly over the past decade. Researchers point to extensive social media scrolling as a key factor in this troubling trend.

“It is clear that we should look as much as possible to put the ‘social’ back into social media,” said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an Oxford economics professor who directs the Wellbeing Research Centre and co-edits the World Happiness Report.

The study found that 15-year-old girls who use social media for five hours or more daily reported significantly lower life satisfaction compared to those with more moderate usage. Interestingly, young people who use social media for less than one hour per day report the highest levels of well-being—even higher than those who avoid social media altogether.

This finding comes as many countries are implementing or considering restrictions on social media access for minors, with growing concern about the mental health impacts of these platforms.

The most problematic platforms, according to researchers, are those featuring algorithmic feeds, influencers, and primarily visual content, as these encourage harmful social comparisons. In contrast, platforms focused mainly on communication appear to have less negative effects on users.

While the report highlights these concerning trends in Western nations, it notes that in other regions such as the Middle East and South America, the relationship between social media use and well-being is more positive, suggesting cultural and social factors play important roles in how digital platforms affect young users.

Finland continues to dominate the global happiness rankings, claiming the top spot for the ninth consecutive year. Other Nordic countries—Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway—also secured positions in the top 10, a pattern consistent with previous reports.

Costa Rica made a remarkable leap in this year’s rankings, climbing from 23rd place in 2023 to 4th place in 2026. The report attributes this dramatic improvement to the strong family bonds and social connections prevalent in Costa Rican culture.

“Latin America more generally has strong family ties, strong social ties, a great level of social capital, as a sociologist would call it, more so than in other places,” De Neve explained.

The report suggests Finland’s continued dominance reflects several factors: the country’s wealth, equitable distribution of resources, robust welfare state that protects citizens during economic downturns, and healthy life expectancy.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb responded to his country’s top ranking by saying, “I do not think there is a magic potion, but it helps to have a society which strives towards freedom, equality and justice.”

This sentiment was echoed by Helsinki resident Semi Salmi, who highlighted Finns’ confidence in their social systems, particularly healthcare. “My father is now in long-term care and he’s extremely well taken care of by the system,” he said.

The report presents a stark contrast between the happiest and least happy nations. While Nordic countries dominate the top rankings, nations in or near conflict zones remain at the bottom. Afghanistan ranks as the unhappiest country again, followed by Sierra Leone and Malawi.

For the second consecutive year, none of the English-speaking countries appear in the top 10 happiest nations. The United States ranks 23rd, Canada 25th, and Britain 29th—positions that may reflect the social media-driven decline in youth well-being that the report highlights.

The World Happiness Report’s rankings are based on responses from approximately 100,000 people across 140 countries and territories. Respondents evaluate their lives on a scale from 0 to 10, with researchers typically surveying about 1,000 people per country annually through telephone or face-to-face interviews. The study is conducted in partnership with analytics firm Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.