Majority of Arab youth say social media leads to decline in mental health

Study also shows that UAE is among top 5 countries in Mena for TikTok reach

Angel Tesorero

Published: Tue 10 Oct 2023, 4:50 PM

Last updated: Tue 10 Oct 2023, 9:08 PM

Seven out of 10 young Arabs are struggling to disconnect from social media and six out of 10 Arab youth agree that social media addiction negatively impacts their mental health. An overwhelming 92 per cent believe big tech companies hold sway over them, and are not doing enough to tackle fake news.

These are the key findings in the 15th annual Asda’a BCW Arab Youth Survey under the theme ‘My Lifestyle’, released in partnership with new digital media hub blinx on Tuesday, on the occasion of World Mental Health Day.

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The Middle East and North Africa (Mena) has among the highest levels of per capita adoption of social media networks globally. “With such significant social media usage, it is not surprising that nearly three-fourths or 74 per cent of young Arabs said they are struggling to disconnect from social media. Additionally, about two-thirds (61 per cent) agreed that social media addiction negatively impacts their mental health,” noted the report.

Asda’a BCW commissioned SixthFactor Consulting to conduct the face-to-face interviews with 3,600 Arab citizens aged 18 to 24 in 53 cities across 18 Arab states.

Defined by social media

Explaining the findings, Sunil John, president, Mena, BCW and founder of Asda’a BCW, said: “The lifestyles of the region’s youth are increasingly defined by their social media addiction, and even when they agree they struggle to disconnect, many favour seeking fame by choosing to be social media influencers.”

Asked which field they would want to achieve fame, the highest percentage (13 per cent) of Arab youth said they would rather be famous as ‘a social media influencer’ rather than choosing from over 30 options, including careers in industry, education, business, healthcare, tourism, and others.

To be known as chefs, food critics or food bloggers was popular (12 per cent) while 11 per cent each said they would like to be known for their humanitarian work or for their contribution to technology.

Ten per cent of young Arabs said they would like to be famous in the fashion sector as designers or models. Careers in education and in sports appeal to 9 per cent of them, while only 8 per cent said they would prefer to be famous in business as entrepreneurs/CEOs.

There are regional disparities, however. In the GCC, technology, engineering, and culinary arts were named as the top three choices (10 per cent each), while 17 per cent of youth in North African nations seek fame as social media influencers, followed by 15 per cent naming charity work and 12 per cent wanting to explore culinary arts. In the Levantine nations, the top preference is for technology and culinary arts (13 per cent each) followed by 12 per cent wanting to achieve fame as influencers.

Living in a bubble

“The overt dependence on social media appears to have left many young people living in a bubble, unaware of the socioeconomic realities,” noted John, adding: “With the highest levels of youth unemployment in the world, it is important for the Mena region to channel the energies of these young men and women into vocational training and quality education for the jobs of the future.”

John added that the concern raised by Arab youth about the impact of social networks on mental health is especially significant. “A digital-savvy youth population is an asset for any nation, but their mental well-being must be given top priority by encouraging them to live a fuller social life in the real world,” he underscored.

Stop disinformation

Decline in mental well-being is not only one of the major concerns by the Arab Youth. Nine out of 10 or 92 per cent of Arab youth noted big tech companies such as Meta, Apple, Netflix and Google have ‘too much power’ – “and social media companies need to do more to stop disinformation on their sites.” This sentiment is shared by young people in all three regions covered - the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, North Africa and Levant.

Asked which social channels are most important to them, 18 per cent said of the respondents said Facebook, followed by Instagram (17 per cent), WhatsApp (16 per cent), YouTube (13 per cent ), TikTok (12 per cent), SnapChat (11 per cent), X/Twitter (8 per cent) and LinkedIn (4 per cent).

Defining lifestyle

Social media clearly dominates the lives of Arab youth and when asked what defines their lifestyle, more than half (58 per cent) said ‘eating out’ followed by 57 per cent saying ‘hanging out with friends’.

Wearing fashionable brands was picked by 42 per cent while over a third (36 per cent) said 'holidaying in new destinations.' Nearly a third (31 per cent) said 'going to the movies' reflects their lifestyle, and less than a third (30 per cent) said 'driving a sports car.'

Source of news

It is not surprising that nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of the respondents said they get their news from social media, but this is a significant drop from 2019 when almost 80 per cent of young Arabs surveyed said they get their news from social channels. Television continues to be the second most preferred source of news – named by nearly half of young Arabs (45 per cent).

A perceptible trend is the rise of online portals as a source of news for young Arabs. In 2019, over a third (38 per cent) named online portals as their primary source of news; this has increased to 42 per cent in 2023, also marking a 10 per cent increase over 2022. Print dailies continue to see a steady decline, named by less than one in 10 youth (9 per cent).

Television remains as the most trusted source of news for young Arabs - at 89 per cent followed by online news portals (79 per cent) and print dailies (76 per cent). Social media influencers are not convincingly trusted with 42 per cent saying they are 'not trustworthy'.

Live a fuller social life

“The youth being digital-savyy is an asset for any nation,” Sunil noted. “But their mental well-being must be given top priority by encouraging them to live a fuller social life in the real world,” he underscored.

The youth survey covered five Gulf Cooperation Council states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE), North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and South Sudan – newly added this year), and the Levant region (Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Syria) and Yemen

Other key findings

> 77 per cent – internet penetration in the Mena region; higher than the global average of 65 per cent

> 8.4 – average social media accounts of users in Mena, each spending over 3.5 hours on them.

> Saudi Arabia is the biggest user of YouTube worldwide, where 68 per cent of the users consume more video digitally than on TV.

> The top 5 countries by reach for TikTok are in Mena (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iraq)

> Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt are among the Top 15 largest national markets for SnapChat.

> Rankings of social media platforms among Arab youth: Facebook 18 per cent; Instagram 17 per cent; WhatsApp 16 per cent; YouTube 13 per cent; TikTok 12 per cent; SnapChat 11 per cent; X (formerly Twitter) 8 per cent and LinkedIn 4 per cent.