Nordic leaders address youth mental health and social media risks

During a Nordic summit in Denmark, prime ministers from the Nordic region addressed the growing concerns regarding the mental health of children and adolescents and declining school performance.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre highlighted that the rise in mental health issues among youth coincides with the widespread adoption of social media algorithms around 2012. He noted that digital screens are negatively impacting concentration levels, contributing to a decline in reading, writing, and arithmetic skills observed since 2015. Støre described the situation as a ‘terrible injustice’ against the youth and a significant public health problem.

The leaders discussed regulatory measures for digital platforms to protect minors from harmful online content. The meeting also featured American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of ‘The Anxious Generation’, who provided insights into the correlation between social media and youth mental health struggles.