The younger generations are suffering
A large share of people aged between 18 and 34 are experiencing a mental health crisis that affects cognitive, emotional, and social capacities. It also worsens physical conditions and everyday interactions. According to the picture provided by the latest Global Mind Health Report by Sapiens Lab (a US-based organization that is a reference point in the study of mental health), the deterioration of wellbeing in this age group is a global phenomenon.
Compared to the past, the current situation also appears reversed. While historically each new generation tended to record higher levels of wellbeing than the previous one, in recent years under-35s are, on average, worse off than their parents.
What has happened? The role played by totalizing digitalization, the (ab)use of social media, and the relentless penetration of mobile phones even among the very young is undeniable. But alongside the rapid, deep, and worrying erosion of people’s satisfaction, these causes are intertwined with a combination of external crises. A tightly woven set of situations that make the future appear particularly frightening to young people.
Pressed by social expectations and unattainable ideals of success, young people struggle significantly to adapt and face life’s challenges, and to manage relationships and emotions. Finding themselves trapped in conditions of precariousness that are difficult to escape—economic crises, geopolitical instability, employment uncertainty, and the negative effects of climate change—they are living through an era of “polycrisis” that in effect limits and reduces their contribution to social development.
We are facing widespread states of anxiety and depression, along with the spread of habits that are often correlated and capable of further eroding their wellbeing. Among others, for example, excessive use of digital tools fuels frustration. It also more easily leads to sedentary lifestyles which, like a vicious cycle, worsen physical conditions. From this, difficulties in fulfilling school or professional commitments grow, in the most severe cases becoming unsustainable1 and in developing interpersonal relationships.
Shifting the focus from individuals to nations, the Sapien Labs report also challenges the belief that increasing economic and social wealth automatically improves people’s wellbeing and mental health. Put simply, that money brings happiness. Contrary to expectations, it is not only the relationship between youth and higher levels of mental health that is reversed, but also the link between national income and wellbeing. In fact, wealthy countries tend to record the lowest levels of wellbeing, while in Sub-Saharan Africa young people report the best overall states. In the ranking produced by the report, it is in Europe2 some of the countries with the lowest results can be found. The United Kingdom, for example, ranks 81st out of 84 countries considered. Germany is in 71st place and Ireland is 70th. Finland, a special case—despite being widely recognized as one of the happiest countries in the world—ranks 28th in wellbeing among those over 55, but 40th when considering the 18–34 age group. And in France (72nd and 52nd respectively), where the healthcare system appears solid and adult wellbeing remains above the EU average, younger generations are among those most affected by a worsening mental health situation. Here, depressive symptoms among 18–29-year-olds have more than doubled compared to the pre-COVID period.
In Italy as well, youth mental health trends are moving downward. Although the country ranks first among EU member states in the 18–34 age group (20th), it falls to below the halfway point in the global ranking (54th) for those over 55. In Italy too, loneliness, problematic social media use, low self-esteem, and disabling academic and work pressure are on the rise. All this occurs without support systems being sufficiently adequate, timely, or widely distributed across the territory.
- While not exclusively linked to these factors, it is also important to note the rising number of young NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) over the past years. In terms of mental health, this group appears particularly vulnerable, since personal satisfaction is also shaped by levels of control over one’s life, social relationships, and personal stability—areas that are often extremely fragile in these cases. ↩︎
- According to Eurobarometer and UNICEF data, in Europe one in seven adolescents experiences mental health problems, and one in two adults reports at least one recent emotional difficulty. ↩︎