A Generational Shift: Exploring the Decline in Youth Mental Health in Australia

This study examines the concerning decline in mental health among young Australians, particularly females, since the early 2010s. Utilising data from the Household, Income, Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, researchers Rose Khattar and Gianni La Cava investigate potential contributing factors to this trend.

Key Findings:

Significant Decline in Self-Reported Mental Health: Beginning around 2012, a sharp decrease in self-reported mental health, particularly among young women aged 15-24, has been observed. This decline is not merely subjective; it’s corroborated by increased rates of mental health disorders, a greater need for professional mental health services, and rising mental health-related hospitalisations within this demographic.
The Birth Year Factor: Young women born since the late 1990s consistently report significantly lower mental health scores compared to older female cohorts and males across all birth years. This generational difference in mental well-being is striking and points towards potential societal or environmental influences impacting this particular age group.
Social Media’s Potential Role: While not definitively proven, the rise of social media platforms coincides with the decline in youth mental health. This observation is particularly relevant for females aged 15-24, who demonstrate higher rates of daily social media use than their male counterparts and older generations.
The Loneliness Link: The research highlights a strong correlation between declining mental health and feelings of social isolation, measured by a decline in the “Friendship Index,” particularly among young women.

Exploring the Role of Social Media

The study proposes a potential link between social media and the observed decline in youth mental health, supported by:

The coinciding timelines: The decline in mental health aligns with the surge in popularity of image and video-based social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Young people, especially those born in the late 1990s, would have navigated their formative years alongside the rise of these platforms.
Gendered usage patterns: The study reveals that females aged 15-24 are more frequent users of social media compared to males of the same age and other age groups, potentially increasing their vulnerability to the platform’s potential negative effects on mental well-being.
Social isolation: The research identifies a significant correlation between poor mental health and feelings of social isolation. Notably, the “Friendship Index” demonstrates a decline alongside the rise in social media use, particularly among young women.

Although the study suggests a potential link between social media use and declining youth mental health, it emphasises the need for more research to establish a definitive causal relationship. The researchers highlight the lack of detailed data on the quantity and nature of individual social media usage patterns as a significant barrier to understanding the true impact of these platforms.

Call for Data Integration

To facilitate more comprehensive research, the study recommends integrating individual-level mobile phone usage data with confidential medical, social security, and tax records within the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Person-level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA). This approach could offer valuable insights into the complex relationship between social media use and mental well-being.

The research reveals a concerning decline in the self-reported mental health of young Australians, particularly women, born since the late 1990s. While not conclusive, the study suggests a potential link between this decline and the increasing prevalence of social media use within this demographic. Further research with more granular data is crucial to definitively understand and address this critical issue.