- Most young Arabs say social media addiction is causing a decline in mental well-being: ASDA'A BCW 15th Annual Arab Youth Survey

DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- While the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has one of the highest levels of per capita social media adoption globally, the majority of young Arabs say that they are struggling to disconnect and that social media addiction is negatively affecting their mental health.

These are some of the key findings under the theme 'My lifestyle', from the 15th annual ASDA'A BCW Arab Youth Survey, the most comprehensive study of its kind on the Arab world's largest demographic group, its more than 200 million youth, conducted by ASDA'A BCW, the leading communications consultancy in MENA.

This year's survey reveals that almost three quarters (74%) of young Arabs have difficulty disconnecting from social media. Additionally, around two-thirds (61%) agreed that social media addiction negatively affects their mental health.

The survey findings were presented at a special event organized by blinx, the new youth-focused digital media hub in the Middle East, to mark World Mental Health Day. Sunil John, President of MENA, BCW and Founder of ASDA'A BCW, and Nakhle Elhage, CEO of blinx, discussed the findings.

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

But the majority of young Arabs (92%) also said that big tech companies such as Meta, Apple, Netflix and Google have "too much power." Similarly, an overwhelming majority (92%) said social media companies must do more to stop misinformation on their sites.

Despite their struggle to disconnect, many young Arabs are carried away by the prospect of fame through social media, reflecting their choices of "soft careers" rather than pursuing challenging jobs in technology, medicine or engineering.

When asked in which field they would like to achieve fame, the highest percentage (13%) of young Arabs said they would prefer to be famous as "social media influencers." Respondents had the option to name multiple fields from more than 30 options, including careers in industry, education, business, healthcare, tourism and others.

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

Social networks as the main source of news

Nearly two-thirds (61%) of respondents said they get their news through social media, but this is a significant drop from 2019, when almost 80% of young Arabs surveyed said they get their news through of social channels. Television, however, remains the second preferred news source, mentioned by almost half of young Arabs (45%).

Television is the most trusted source of news for young Arabs: named by 89%, followed by online news portals (79%) and print newspapers (76%). Social media influencers are not as trusted: 42% say they are "not trustworthy."

Announcing the results, Sunil John said: "The overt reliance on social media appears to have left many young people living in a bubble, unaware of socio-economic realities. With the highest levels of youth unemployment in the world, it is important for MENA region to channel the energies of these young men and women towards vocational training and quality education for the jobs of the future.

"In light of the intriguing revelations from the ASDA'A BCW Arab Youth Survey, blinx, which focuses on Generation Z and Millennials across the Middle East, finds these insights particularly insightful," said Nakhle Elhage. "As we learn more about the media consumption habits and preferences of young Arabs from the recent survey results, we, at blinx, are committed to keeping it real and genuine, away from fake news, misinformation and disinformation".

ASDA'A BCW commissioned SixthFactor Consulting, a leading research firm, to conduct the 15th edition of the Arab Youth Survey. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 3,600 Arab citizens aged 18 to 24 in 53 cities across 18 Arab states, the largest sample in the history of the survey. All published findings are freely available with expert commentary at arabyouthsurvey.com.

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