Large study finds teens from low-income homes more vulnerable to social media harms

Concerns over the impact of social media on young people have persisted for years. Yet public debate and policy responses often treat adolescents as a single, uniform group rather than with economic and regional differences, overlooking the fact that social media does not affect all teenagers equally — nor does it influence their wellbeing in the same way.

A team of Spanish researchers has now examined how problematic social media use affects adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds, uncovering significant inequalities in how young people experience the digital world, as highlighted by The Conversation outlet.

Their findings were published in a recent chapter of the World Happiness Report 2026, released by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network in partnership with University of Oxford.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 330,000 adolescents across 43 countries spanning six regions: Anglo-Celtic, Caucasus-Black Sea, Central-Eastern Europe, Mediterranean, Nordic and Western Europe.

They found a “clear and consistent pattern” linking problematic social media use — described as compulsive or uncontrolled engagement with platforms — to lower levels of wellbeing.

Teenagers reporting higher levels of problematic use were more likely to experience psychological complaints, including feeling low, anxious, irritable or struggling with sleep. They also reported lower life satisfaction, a broader measure of how positively they view their lives overall.

While the trend appeared in every country examined, its intensity varied. The relationship between social media use and poor wellbeing was especially strong in Anglo-Celtic countries such as United Kingdom and Ireland, while comparatively weaker in the Caucasus-Black Sea region.

One of the study’s key findings is that adolescents from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds appear significantly more vulnerable to the negative effects of problematic social media use than wealthier peers.

According to the researchers, socioeconomic status — including household income, living conditions and access to social resources — shapes the kinds of risks and opportunities young people encounter online.

“Interestingly, these inequalities are especially visible when we look at life satisfaction,” the report states. “One likely reason is that life satisfaction is more sensitive to social comparisons. Social media exposes young people to constant benchmarks — what others have, do, and achieve — which can amplify differences in perceived opportunities and resources.”

Pandemic years intensified trend

The study also tracked how these patterns evolved over time and found that the connection between problematic social media use and poor adolescent wellbeing became noticeably stronger between 2018 and 2022.

Researchers suggest this may reflect the increasingly central role digital technologies play in teenagers’ daily lives, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The findings add to growing concerns among experts that the mental health risks associated with excessive social media use may not only be increasing, but may also be deepening existing social inequalities among young people.

By Nazrin Sadigova