Despite Instagram, Gen Z's unhappiness stems from money, distrust, and future worries.

Young adults in America are experiencing a decrease in happiness, with no clear explanation for the cause.

For the first time in 20 years, the U.S. has dropped out of the top-20 happiest countries in the World Happiness Report, falling eight spots from No. 15 to No. 23 on the list.

Young people have been identified as the troubling cause of America's rapid decline in happiness, with those under 30 ranking 62nd in happiness compared to Americans over 60 who ranked 10th.

Recent research indicates that young people's mental health and outlook have deteriorated, resulting in severe consequences.

Studies from 2010 to 2019 show that rates of teen anxiety and depression increased by more than 50%, according to Jonathan Haidt, an NYU social psychologist and author of "The Anxious Generation." The book focuses on those born after 1995. Meanwhile, suicide rates among Americans ages 10 to 24 increased 62% from 2007 to 2021, especially among young girls, the CDC reports.

The problem is clear, but the root cause is not.

While Haidt and other researchers contend that technology and social media have contributed to an epidemic of isolation and loneliness, a burgeoning body of research suggests that there are more complex reasons for the decline, such as economic and systemic failures, institutional distrust, and young people's growing fear that they will not achieve the same level of success as their parents and grandparents.

Social media can 'set developing brains into a habitual state of defensiveness'

Young people feel more alone due to social media, according to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in his 2023 report "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation."

"Murthy wrote that several harms of technology include displacing in-person engagement, monopolizing our attention, reducing the quality of our interactions, and diminishing our self-esteem, which can lead to greater loneliness, fear of missing out, conflict, and reduced social connection."

Haidt believes social media can hurt the developing brain.

According to Haidt, adolescents going through puberty online may experience more social comparison, self-consciousness, public shaming, and chronic anxiety than previous generations, potentially leading to a habitual state of defensiveness.

According to Zach Rausch, Haidt's lead researcher and an associate research scientist at NYU's Stern School of Business, digital conversations on Instagram or text do not always translate into physical interactions.

"Rausch argues that while we use social media to connect with others online, it is not enough to replace in-person meetings."

Rausch notes that "The Anxious Generation" doesn't assert that eradicating social media is a cure-all for loneliness and depression.

""Social media is not the sole cause of adolescent mental health problems, as there are many factors at play, and this is clearly stated in the book," he remarks."

What shifted in our culture at a specific time in recent history, according to Haidt, is technology.

"Rates of poor mental health, anxiety, depression, and self-harm among adolescents, particularly girls, have remained stable globally until approximately 2010. However, there has been a sudden increase since then. The aim of our book is to investigate the causes of this increase during this specific time frame."

'The association between social media and loneliness is non-existent'

A communications professor at The University of Kansas who studies relationships and social interaction, Jeffery Hall, suggests that the link between social media use and unhappiness or loneliness may be weaker than previously believed.

Several meta-analyses show no link between social media use and loneliness, according to Hall.

The United States faces systemic failures that contribute to people feeling unable to be optimistic about the future, including issues related to money, settling down, and institutional trust, according to him.

Candice L. Odgers, a professor in the psychological science department at the University of California, Irvine, argues that Haidt's findings lack scientific support.

"In the academic journal Nature, Odgers stated that hundreds of researchers, including himself, have searched for large effects as suggested by Haidt. However, their efforts have resulted in a mix of no, small, and mixed associations. Most of the data are correlative. When associations over time are found, they suggest that young people with mental health problems use social media more often or in different ways from their healthy peers, implying that social media use does not predict or cause depression."

Hall believes that the effects of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are often overstated and fail to account for the varied ways in which people use social media.

Not everyone benefits from using platforms like Instagram.

Hall remarks that social media may not be a comprehensive solution for individuals in dire need of connection.

The Affordable Care Act, enacted in 2010 and providing health insurance coverage and mental health services to more Americans, may have contributed to an increase in care and diagnoses, potentially revealing more cases of mental illness among young people.

According to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook and owner of Instagram, mental health is a complex issue, and existing research does not establish a causal link between social media usage and young people experiencing worse mental health outcomes.

The company has implemented similar search filters to TikTok, such as hiding content and search results about sensitive issues, like self-harm, from teens and instead providing resources.

Social media 'magnifies this steep inequality'

Some economists and social scientists argue that Haidt's book's thesis and the blame placed on social media overlook the long-term pressures that negatively affect young people's mental health.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, author of "Never Enough," argues that a constant virtual connection with millions of people can make the gap between the rich and poor more apparent.

"She argues that while social media may not be the primary cause of the issues we face, it intensifies the social comparison that is prevalent in our society. It amplifies the existing social inequality in our country."

According to Pew Research, 44% of U.S. teenagers aged 13 to 17 believe that being a teenager today is more challenging than it was 20 years ago. The top reasons they cited were "more pressures and expectations" (31%), "social media" (25%), and "the world/country has changed in a bad way" (15%).

According to Kyle K. Moore, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, many of the pathways to wealth that were accessible to baby boomers and Gen X are now significantly narrower for Gen Z.

"Securing economic well-being is highly dependent on wealth in our country," he remarks. "There are limited opportunities to accumulate wealth."

Since the 1980s, the affordability of homeownership has decreased.

'I Zillowed our house and I can't afford it'

Adolescents were interviewed by Wallace about their views on their economic futures in his book.

Even 14-year-olds are stressed about the housing market, as one student I interviewed said to his mother in 8th grade, "If I wanted to be an architect, where would I live?" His mother replied, "You can live anywhere," but the student responded, "I Zillowed our house and I can't afford it."

Gen Z might laugh at the idea of retiring, according to Moore.

Despite their parents or grandparents being able to retire at 65, many young people are observing the elderly in their lives struggling to live comfortably.

Moore says that Gen Z and millennials have experienced their parents and grandparents not achieving the financial stability they expected and continuing to work later than anticipated.

He adds that it can be disheartening for them to believe they have even fewer avenues to financial security than their parents.

According to Rausch, the research does not support the existence of economic problems at the root cause.

"If the economy was the primary cause of the mental health crisis, we would expect that as the economy improves, the crisis would also improve, but that's not what we observed. Adolescent depression and self-harm increased during the 2008 financial crisis, even as unemployment levels decreased."

'There's a sense that the future is looking pretty bleak'

Hall states that Gen Z's perception of their financial stability can significantly impact their relationships and, consequently, their overall life satisfaction.

According to an 85-year-long Harvard University study, positive relationships of all kinds are crucial to happiness.

In 1990, 29% of Americans aged 25 to 54 lived alone and were unpartnered, according to Pew Research Center data. By 2019, that number had increased to 38%. A 2023 report from the University of Chicago reveals that married individuals tend to be significantly happier than unmarried individuals.

Hall states that many young individuals are not settling down, getting married, and starting families due to financial constraints.

The reasons young people are less interested in child-rearing than previous generations may reveal deeper truths about how they view the future, and having kids is not a shortcut to happiness.

According to Pew Research Center, among adults aged 18 to 49 who do not have children and are unlikely to have them in the future, 38% cite concerns about the state of the world as a major reason, while 26% mention environmental concerns.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Orna Guralnik, based in New York City and host of "Couples Therapy," reports an increase in couples choosing not to have children due to their lack of trust in global leaders.

Guralnik says that the future seems hopeless, and there's no indication that the leaders, government, or policies are taking any action to address the issue.

Rausch doubts that significant stressors, such as climate change, are causing recent youth unhappiness, asserting that there is no evidence to suggest that climate change affects children differently from other age groups.

Navigating an uncertain future

Haidt suggests several strategies for Gen Z and their parents to reduce their dependence on social media and smartphones. Some of these solutions, such as turning off notifications, are simple to implement. However, others, like banning phones in schools, are more challenging but have gained traction in some large school districts across the country.

The chancellor of New York City Public Schools announced that the district plans to follow the lead of the Los Angeles Unified School District and ban smartphones in schools, starting next year.

Although limiting social media use may lead to more in-person connections, it does not tackle the cultural and economic challenges that today's youth face.

The belief that limiting screen time can solve unhappiness among kids is not universally accepted, and it's not accurate to say that social media causes loneliness in young people.

Hall says that while some lonely kids are turning to social media to cope, the opposite narrative is also true: social media is making them lonely and ruining their lives.

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