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Research & Reports, Social Media
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How Is Social Media Affecting Gen Z?

What kind of relationship does Gen Z have with social media? According to a new McKinsey Health Institute Survey, the relationship Gen Z has with social media “is complicated.” While it can help users to connect with others, a new global survey also revealed that social media usage can lead to poor body image and a fear of missing out (FOMO).

McKinsey Health Institute’s (MHI’s) 2022 Global Gen Z Survey involved over 42,000 respondents in 26 countries worldwide. Participants were asked “questions based on the four dimensions of health: mental, physical, social, and spiritual,” and the trends were analyzed.

According to McKinsey & Company, “Generation Z comprises people born between 1996 and 2010. This generation’s identity has been shaped by the digital age, climate anxiety, a shifting financial landscape, and COVID-19.” They’re also the first generation to grow up with the internet as part of daily life. Wikipedia adds that “most members of Generation Z are children of Generation X.”

Excerpts from the McKinsey survey follow:

Gen Z versus other generations

  • In most surveyed countries, a higher share of Gen Z survey respondents report poor mental, social, and spiritual health compared with other generations. (Globally, 1 in 7 baby boomers say their mental health has declined over the past three years, compared with 1 in 4 Gen Z respondents.)
  • Female Gen Zers were almost twice as likely to report poor mental health when compared with their male counterparts (21% versus 13%, respectively).
  • Gen Zers and millennials are more likely than other generations to say social media affects their mental health. Studies of young adults and their social media use have shown an inverse relationship between screen time and psychological well-being – well-being declines the more screen time you spend.
  • Negative effects seem to be greatest for younger generations, with particularly pronounced impacts for Gen Zers who spend more than two hours a day on social media and Gen Zers with poor mental health.

How are people of different generations using social media?

  • Almost everyone is using social media, but in different ways. More than 75% of respondents in all age groups said they use and check social media sites at least ten minutes a day.
  • Over one-third of Gen Z respondents say they spend more than two hours each day on social media sites. Although millennials are the most active social media users, with 32% stating they post one or more times per day, Gen Zers spent the most time passively online.
  • Studies have shown that passive social media use (for example, scrolling) could be linked to declines in subjective well-being over time.

Positive aspects of technology use

  • Social media is not all bad – respondents across all generations overwhelmingly reported positive impacts of social media when it comes to self-expression and social connectivity.
  • Positive aspects of technology may include increased access to health resources, especially through apps.
  • Fifty percent more Gen Z respondents reported using digital mental health programs than Gen X or baby boomers (22% for Gen Z versus 15% for Gen X and baby boomers).
  • Four out of five respondents across all generations report that these programs benefit their mental health.
  • Digital health resources may play an important role in supporting mental health globally, especially when access to in-person resources is limited or geographically impossible.

You can read the full McKinsey survey here.

Photo by Marjan Grabowski on Unsplash