Why 3 in 4 Gen Z blame social media for their mental health decline

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

A STRIKING MAJORITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE ARE BLAMING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR NEGATIVELY AFFECTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.

THAT’S ACCORDING TO A NEW SURVEY OF 2,000 GEN Z AMERICANS, WHICH FOUND THAT THREE IN FOUR SAY  INSTAGRAM (20%), TIKTOK (20%) AND FACEBOOK (13%) HAVE ALL HAD A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THEIR WELLBEING.

CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH ON BEHALF OF L-G ELECTRONICS, THE STUDY FOUND SCROLLING ON SOCIAL MEDIA LEAVES NEARLY HALF OF GEN Z-ERS (49%) FEELING SOME KIND OF NEGATIVE EMOTION LIKE STRESS AND ANXIETY (30%).  

AND THOSE WHO EXPERIENCE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS REPORT THAT IT ONLY TAKES THEM 38 MINUTES ON SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE THEY START TO FEEL BAD.

THE AVERAGE PERSON SPENDS FIVE AND A HALF HOURS ON SOCIAL MEDIA APPS PER DAY, AND 45 PERCENT BELIEVE THEY SPEND MORE TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAN THEIR FRIENDS DO.

WHAT’S CAUSING GEN Z TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA DAILY?

• Boredom - 66%
• I want to laugh/smile - 59%
• Need a distraction/break - 55%
• I want to see what is happening in the world - 49%
• I want to see what my friends are doing - 44%
• I want to connect with others - 42%
• I want to disengage/need downtime - 33%
• Looking for specific information - 32%

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Gen Z Americans who use social media; the survey was commissioned by LG Electronics and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between June 20 and June 24, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.