Rates of 23-year-olds spending five or more hours a day on social media have dropped by 16 percentage points since their late teens (21% v 37%), finds new UCL research.
However, almost half still report they are addicted to social media with little change since age 17 (45% v 47%).
Researchers from the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies analysed data from almost 10,000 people born in the UK in 2000-02 who are taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study. At age 23, study participants answered a series of questions about their social media use, social media addiction and how connected and happy they felt online compared to in real life.
They were also asked to report on online victimisation. This included whether someone had sent a photo or rumours about them via phone, email, social media or online. The research team compared these with earlier reports taken from the same people at age 17.
Rates of online victimisation had more than halved since participants were in their late teens, falling from 8% to 3% at age 23. Similarly, the proportion who said they felt more connected and happier online than in real life also declined from 27% to 19%.
Rates of heavy social media use
Heavy social media use at age 23 varied by sex and education level. A higher proportion of women reported spending five or more hours a day on social media in their early 20s compared to men (24% v 19%). Non-graduates were more likely to spend five or more hours on social media than those who had attended university (24% v 19%).
The pattern was slightly different for social media addiction. Again, a higher proportion of women said they were addicted to social media compared to men (50% v 39%). However, graduates were more likely to report being addicted to social media than those who had not been to university (51% v 38%).
A quarter of participants without higher education (24%) agreed that they felt more connected and happier online, compared with just 14% of graduates. There were no differences by sex.
The researchers compared rates of heavy social media use with a group of millennials born a decade earlier. They found that gen Z were seven percentage points more likely to spend five or more hours online in their mid-20s than the earlier born generation (21% v 14%).
Although the study did observe differences in online victimisation between sexes and people with varying educational backgrounds, these differences were not statistically significant owing to the small overall prevalence of victimisation.
New findings
Lead author, Dr Aase Villadsen (UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies) said: “Our new findings show that as gen Z navigate early adulthood many are much less occupied with social media than in their teens. Although social media addiction is still high, we see downward trends for problematic habits such as heavy social media use and online victimisation.”
“Our findings reveal inequalities by sex and educational pathway for some online habits. Fewer people feel more connected and happier online than in real life which may indicate that more of this generation are forging new relationships at college, university and at work. Yet, for some members of this generation, social media may still provide vital social connections and friendships.
As the first generation to grow up with social media, it will be of great interest to see how gen Z’s online habits may shape their later outcomes, especially compared to earlier generations.
Aase Villadsen, Research Fellow“As the first generation to grow up with social media, it will be of great interest to see how gen Z’s online habits may shape their later outcomes, especially compared to earlier generations whose lives have not been so immersed in technology. The findings presented here therefore offer not only a snapshot of online behaviours among young adults in the UK, but also a foundation for tracking how they may go on to influence people’s lives.”
The findings on social media provide descriptive statistics, meaning that no other variables are controlled for in the analyses. These measures can be analysed alongside other variables to explore how social media use relates to various aspects of young people’s lives.
Further information
Read: Attitudes, health and social media: initial findings from the Millennium Cohort Study at age 23, by Aase Villadsen and Morag Henderson.
