Study shows social media most damaging for mental health of Gen Zers

New data on the impact of social media use on mental health across the world shows just how damaging it is to Gen Zers.

For those who aren’t clear, the Pew Research Center, defines Generation Zers as people born between 1997 and 2012, (making them 11-26 years old).

The study, conducted by the McKinsey Health Institute, reported that: “Gen Zers, on average, are more likely than other generations to cite negative feelings about social media.”

According to the survey, some 42,000 respondents in 26 countries across continents were asked about the four dimensions of health: mental, physical, social and spiritual.

The results found that Gen Zers ranked worst across all of these categories.

Millennials were next, born 1981-1996 (27-42 years old), followed by Gen Xers (those born between 1965 and 1981), and baby boomers (born between 1946 – 1954 and aged between 69 – 77).

One in seven baby boomers said their mental health has declined over the past three years, compared with one in four Gen Z respondents.

Although millennials reported being more active on social media – 32% said they posted at least once a day – Gen Z spends the most amount of time on the apps, but more passively.

The study indicates that 35% of Gen Z respondents spend over two hours on social media daily compared with 24% of millennials and 14% of baby boomers.

Studies have shown that passive social media use, like endlessly scrolling on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, could be linked with a marked decline in psychological wellbeing over time.

The study suggests that, alarmingly, the negative impact of social media increases substantially for younger ages overall.

At 21%, female Gen Zers, in particular, were almost twice as likely to report poor mental health when compared with their male counterparts, 13% of whom reported poor mental health.

A higher portion of female Gen Zers reported poor or distorted body image and self-confidence as negative impacts of social media.

The American Psychological Association found “reducing social media use significantly improves body image in teens and young adults”.

But social media is not all bad – respondents across all generations overwhelmingly also noted the positive impacts of social media when it comes to offering a virtual platform for self-expression and social connectivity.