Well-off teens are less exposed to social media harms

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Europe Edition - Today's top story: Our study looked at teens’ social media behaviour in 43 countries – those from disadvantaged backgrounds face greater harms View in browser   Europe Edition | 30 April 2026 The relationship between teenagers’ mental health, wellbeing and social media has been under the microscope in recent months. But the discussions and debates are ignoring one vital detail: teenagers aren’t all the same. Factors like location and household income can define their relationship to tech, as well as how it impacts their mental health. A team of researchers – authors of a chapter on tech and teen mental health in last month’s World Happiness Report – investigated this by looking at data from a whopping 43 countries and over 330,000 teenagers. They found that those from less wealthy backgrounds are more likely to suffer mental health consequences from excessive social media use. 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Alex Minshall Editor, Valencia Our study looked at teens’ social media behaviour in 43 countries – those from disadvantaged backgrounds face greater harms Roger Fernandez-Urbano, Universitat de Barcelona; Maria Rubio-Cabañez, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Pablo Gracia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Adolescents’ digital risks are shaped by inequality. The truth about cats and dogs and the links between pet attachment and mental health Tiphaine Blanchard, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse; Inrae An original new study on pet ownership assesses how attached people are to their cats and dogs in order to understand the emotional connection and the associated health benefits at all ages. 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