Young people’s wellbeing continues to decline internationally

According to the 2024 World Happiness Report, wellbeing is continuing to decline for those under 30 in the United States. So much so, that the US is no longer in the top twenty happiest nations list. The World Happiness Report is a yearly study from Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Centre, Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Dr Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general, believes that children’s exposure to social media is holds most of the blame. He continues by saying that governments need to do more to better regulate social media. Dr Murthy believes that Western Europe will soon see the same negative trends in wellbeing that are being seen in the US. Since 2002 young Americans aged 15-24 were recorded as being happier than older generations. However, this changed in 2017, where it now shows the opposite. The report explains the importance of positive wellbeing early in life, as those with higher life satisfaction when they are young go on to earn higher levels of income later in life – even when physical health, self-esteem, education, and intelligence is considered.