International Day of Happiness

Selecting high-quality evidence is only part of the challenge. “Good evidence” must be paired with the “good governance of evidence”. Key Insights  Professional science organisations that have examined social media and adolescent mental health have reached different conclusions and policy recommendations despite examining similar research. Given their substantial influence on policy and public understanding , it is important to investigate their evidence synthesis practices. Our analysis of three high-profile reports on social media and adolescent mental health finds that they cited broadly similar types of research, yet showed little overlap (<1%) in their sources. We also found considerable variation in how the reports synthesize, communicate, and simplify evidence, including differences in citation accuracy, contextual detail, limitation acknowledgement, and conclusion strength. The stakes of getting these syntheses right are substantial. Poor synthesis quality risks deve...

   Most studies on the relationship between social media use and well-being have been carried out in Western, high-income settings, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Western Europe. Although valuable, these insights cannot be generalized. Key Insights  Social media use in the Middle East and North Africa is among the highest in the world, although considerable differences appear among countries. Heavy use is more common than in other regions: between 20% and 40% of users reported more than five hours of use in 2023–2024. Social media use is heavier among certain social groups. Gen Z, men, single individuals, less religious and more affluent respondents, as well as those with higher education, are much more likely to be heavy users. On average, heavy social media use (more than five hours per day) is associated with lower wellbeing . Heavy users are significantly more likely to report higher stress and depressive symptoms, and believe they are w...