- Researchers analyzed data from more than 27,500 adults aged 24-83
- Technology and social media are largely to blame for youngsters’ suffering
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People born in the 1990s have poorer mental health than any previous generation, a study has shown.
Researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia used surveys to track the mental health of nearly 30,000 adults over a decade.
They found that not only did the youngest generation fare the worst, but their emotional troubles showed little sign of improvement over the course of the study – unlike older generations.
Social media, which left participants feeling like they were not good enough, was primarily to blame, researchers said.
Social media, which leads to social comparisons and people feeling like they are not good enough, is mostly to blame for younger people suffering more mental illness, researchers said
Researchers analyzed survey responses between 2010 and 2020 to examine how the mental health of those born in each decade from the 1940s to the 90s altered as they aged.
They then compared the mental health of each birth cohort at the same age.
Lead author of the study, Dr Richard Morris, senior research fellow in the faculty of medicine and health, said it’s long been suspected that people in their 30s and more likely to be mentally ill compared to those in their 50s.
But he adds that this is the first time scientists have shown the difference in the birth cohorts.
‘The mental health of younger generations of people born in the 1990s – and to some extent, the 1980s – is worse age-for-age compared to older generations,’ he said.
‘And they’re not showing that upswing that we typically see in those older generations.’
Dr Peter Baldwin, a senior research fellow at the Black Dog Institute, said that technology is largely to blame.
People born in the 80s had the internet, but those in the 90s had social media, which brought with it a ‘flood’ of social comparisons that are very damaging to mental health, Dr Baldwin said.
‘What young brains really want to know is: “Do I belong?” and “Am I good enough?” And if you open Instagram and see 100 supermodels, athletes and entrepreneurs, it’s going to be a really tough yardstick to measure up against,’ he added.
Meta, which operates Instagram and Facebook, has been sued by 33 states for ‘contributing to youth mental health crisis’ by exposing children and teenagers into social media addiction.
Another study found that just 90 seconds of watching thin bodies on social media can worsen the mental health of young women.
A previous report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that up to a third of Americans in some parts of the country suffer from depression.
The Australian study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
