WASHINGTON, D.C. — Most adults worldwide use social media, and among younger adults, nearly everyone does. Across 97 countries surveyed by Gallup so far in 2026, a median of 81% of adults say they have used some type of social media in the past seven days, rising to 95% among those aged 15 to 29.
Findings from the latest State of the World’s Emotional Health report challenge some assumptions about what that widespread use means for wellbeing. The analysis reveals a modest, complicated relationship that varies by time spent using social media, age and where people live.
With social media so embedded in daily life, the findings are particularly relevant at a time when the world’s emotional health is under considerable strain. Worry, stress, sadness, anger and physical pain all remain well above the levels Gallup measured two decades ago. What is less understood is how much social media is associated with this rise in negative emotions.
For this study, Gallup classifies adults as low use (no use or less than 30 minutes a day), moderate use (30 minutes to less than two hours) or high use (two hours or more). After accounting for factors that can influence wellbeing metrics such as these, moderate use is associated with fewer negative emotions than high use and more positive experiences and higher life evaluations than low use. As with many things in life, moderation appears to yield more optimal wellbeing outcomes.
The findings are part of Gallup’s new State of the World’s Emotional Health 2026 report, released in partnership with the World Health Summit. The report, based on Gallup’s first global analysis of social media use and time spent using it, examines social media alongside Gallup’s latest global measures of positive and negative emotions and life evaluations.
Gallup’s analysis adds to growing evidence that the relationship between social media and wellbeing is not straightforward. The 2026 World Happiness Report found that among 15-year-olds in 47 countries, those who use social media for less than an hour a day have higher life satisfaction than nonusers, while life satisfaction is generally lower at higher levels of use.
More Isn’t Necessarily Worse, but Less Isn’t Necessarily Better
Across the 97 countries surveyed, people are most likely to use social media moderately. A median of 39% of adults fall into this group, compared with 31% with low use and 27% with high use.
The differences in wellbeing across the low-, moderate- and high-use groups are generally small after accounting for country, age, gender, education, household income, internet use, work status, reported health problems and social support. But wellbeing is not meaningfully worse among those spending more time on social media.
Moderate social media use is associated with better outcomes on many wellbeing measures. Compared with moderate social media use, high use is associated with more anger, loneliness, sadness, stress and worry. High users are also less likely to report being treated with respect. However, life evaluation does not differ significantly between the two groups.
At the same time, low users have lower life evaluations and are less likely than moderate users to report enjoyment, smiling or laughing, feeling well-rested, and being treated with respect. They are also slightly more likely to report anger.
Younger Adults Spend More Time Using Social Media
Age is a major factor in how much time people spend using social media. A median of 47% of adults aged 15 to 29 fall into the high-use group, compared with 28% of those aged 30 to 49 and 12% of those aged 50 and older. Low use is much more common among older adults, rising from 10% among those aged 15 to 29 to 54% among those aged 50 and older.
Younger adults are not the only group showing less favorable wellbeing outcomes with high use. Compared with moderate use, high use is associated with more anger and sadness across all three age groups Gallup examined. Among adults aged 15 to 29, it is also associated with more stress and less learning. But life evaluation ratings do not differ significantly between high and moderate use at any age.
High Use Linked to Lower Life Evaluations in High-Income Countries
Globally, life evaluations do not differ significantly between high and moderate use. In high-income countries, however, high use is associated with lower life evaluations. No significant difference is evident in non-high-income countries. The emotional costs of high use are more consistent across income groups: High use is associated with more anger, loneliness and sadness in both.
Even among high-income countries, the pattern varies. In the United States, adults with high use rate their lives about 0.3 points lower than moderate users on Gallup’s 0-to-10 scale, with the same pattern seen among younger adults. There is no significant difference between high and moderate use in Germany or the United Kingdom.
Gallup’s data cannot explain why this relationship differs by country income. In the United States, the association is present amid broader signs of social strain, including elevated loneliness and declining confidence in many institutions. More broadly, life evaluation has declined in many Western industrial countries, particularly among younger people. The 2026 World Happiness Report found that these declines cannot be explained by social media use alone, suggesting that the wider social context may also matter.
Bottom Line
Gallup’s first global analysis of social media use and time spent using it does not yield a simple verdict on its relationship with wellbeing. Some findings support concerns about high use, particularly for negative emotions and, in high-income countries, life evaluations. But the relationships are generally small, and more time spent using social media does not correspond with steadily worse wellbeing in most countries.
The findings also raise questions about social media's relationship with outcomes beyond wellbeing. Confidence in national government varies with social media use and time spent using it. After accounting for other factors, social media users are less likely than nonusers to express confidence in their national government. Confidence is also lower among those with high use than moderate use and higher among those with low use than moderate use.
Based on this research, Gallup cannot determine why these relationships exist. The analysis also does not capture what people do or encounter on social media, the impacts of specific platforms, or whether their use is problematic or disruptive. But the findings challenge the assumption that less social media necessarily corresponds with better wellbeing. The global relationship is neither consistently negative nor simply a matter of time spent.
The next frontier in understanding the relationship between social media and wellbeing may involve exploring what happens during that time online and the social and country contexts in which it occurs.
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