Over the past decade, rates of depression and loneliness have surged among young people. Many researchers point to one major change: the rise of smartphones and social media. But what does the data actually show?

Psychologist Jean Twenge has spent years studying how technology shapes adolescent happiness. Dr. Laurie sits down with her to unpack new findings from the 2026 World Happiness Report on how social media use affects teen wellbeing around the world.

What happens when kids spend hours a day on these platforms? Is any amount of social media actually beneficial? And what can we all do to build healthier relationships with our phones, regardless of age?

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

“What is the International Day of Happiness?”

“World Happiness Report 2026”

iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood

“Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”

“National Trends in the Prevalence and Treatment of Depression in Adolescents and Young Adults”

“Pew Research Center Mobile Fact Sheet”

“Increases in Depression, Self‐Harm, and Suicide Among U.S. Adolescents After 2012 and Links to Technology Use: Possible Mechanisms”

“The Effects of Social Media Restriction: Meta-Analytic Evidence from Randomized controlled Trials”

“Am I Happier Without You? Social Media Detox and Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials”

PISA 2022 Database

10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World: How Parents Can Stop Smartphones, Social Media, and Gaming from Taking Over Their Children's Lives

“Over 20,000 Educators Share Insights on School Cell Phone Policies”

“Managing Student Digital Distraction in the College Classroom: a Self-Determination Theory Perspective”

Over the past decade,&nbsp;rates&nbsp;of&nbsp;depression and loneliness have surged among young people. Many researchers point to one major change: the rise of smartphones and social media. But what does the data actually show?
Psychologist Jean Twenge has spent years studying how technology shapes adolescent happiness. Dr. Laurie sits down with her to unpack new findings from the <a href="https://www.worldhappiness.report/">2026 World Happiness Report</a> on how social media use affects teen wellbeing around the world.
What happens when kids spend hours a day on these platforms? Is any amount of social media actually beneficial? And what can we all do to build healthier relationships with our phones, regardless of age?
Resources mentioned in this episode:&nbsp;
&ldquo;<a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/happiness-day">What is the International Day of Happiness?</a>&rdquo;
&ldquo;<a href="https://www.worldhappiness.report/">World Happiness Report 2026</a>&rdquo;
<a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/igen/id1180611517">iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy&mdash;and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood</a>
&ldquo;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/">Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?</a>&rdquo;
&ldquo;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27940701/">National Trends in the Prevalence and Treatment of Depression in Adolescents and Young Adults</a>&rdquo;
&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/">Pew Research Center Mobile Fact Sheet</a>&rdquo;
&ldquo;<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9176070/">Increases in Depression, Self‐Harm, and Suicide Among U.S. Adolescents After 2012 and Links to Technology Use: Possible Mechanisms</a>&rdquo;
&ldquo;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000714">The Effects of Social Media Restriction: Meta-Analytic Evidence from Randomized controlled Trials</a>&rdquo;
&ldquo;<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11939267/">Am I Happier Without You? Social Media Detox and Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials</a>&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.oecd.org/en/data/datasets/pisa-2022-database.html">PISA 2022 Database</a>
<a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/10-rules-for-raising-kids-in-a-high-tech-world/id6743085792">10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World: How Parents Can Stop Smartphones, Social Media, and Gaming from Taking Over Their Children's Lives</a>
&ldquo;<a href="https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/angela-duckworth-over-20000-educators-share-insights-school-cell-phone-policies">Over 20,000 Educators Share Insights on School Cell Phone Policies</a>&rdquo;
&ldquo;<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-023-09780-y">Managing Student Digital Distraction in the College Classroom: a Self-Determination Theory Perspective</a>&rdquo;

You might think you know what it takes to lead a happier life… more money, a better job, or Instagram-worthy vacations. You’re dead wrong. Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the science of happiness and found that many of us do the exact opposite of what will truly make our lives better. Based on the psychology course she teaches at Yale -- the most popular class in the university’s 300-year history -- Laurie will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will change the way you think about happiness.

You might think you know what it takes to lead a happier life… more money, a better job, or Instagram-worthy vacations. You’re dead wrong. Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the science of happiness and found that many of us do the exact opposite of what will truly make our lives better. Based on the psychology course she teaches at Yale -- the most popular class in the university’s 300-year history -- Laurie will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will change the way you think about happiness.

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

What is Social Media Doing to Kids? with Dr. Jean Twenge

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5bb66eff-c81d-46f0-835c-b41201048978/transcript