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View all search resultsReport links social media to unhappiness among youths
The more hours spent on social media, the lower well-being and life satisfaction among 15-years-olds, particularly girls, the 2026 World Happiness Report has suggested.
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Children use portable digital devices on May 4, 2025, in Jakarta. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
H
eavy social media use is linked to declining happiness among young people, as suggested by the annual global happiness report, as countries such as Indonesia move to tighten regulation on digital platforms to mitigate their impact particularly on children.
The 2026 World Happiness Report, published on March 19 by the University of Oxford and analytics company Gallup, put Indonesia in the rank of 87 of 147 surveyed countries, down four places from last year. The country trailed behind Malaysia in the 71st place, Philippines (56), Thailand (52) and Singapore (36).
This year’s report was based on a survey of 100,000 respondents rating several aspects of their lives from 0 to 10, with 0 indicating the worst possible life.
Perceived corruption emerged as Indonesia’s weakest indicator for the 2026 report, with other aspects such as social support, gross domestic product per capita and healthy life expectancy also scoring relatively worse compared to other countries.
Finland ranked as the world’s happiest country for the ninth year in a row, with high scores attributed to high equality, strong welfare systems and high life expectancy.
Read also: Indonesia slips in happiness ranking, but still tops in generosity
