A new SHRN spotlight briefing examines problematic social media use among secondary school learners in Wales, using data from The SHRN Student Health and Well-being Survey 2025.
Based on responses from more than 130,000 learners aged 11 to 16 across Wales, the briefing looks at how common problematic social media use is and the factors associated with it. Problematic social media use goes beyond frequent use. It refers to a habit that can feel difficult to manage, where social media use begins to interfere with day-to-day life, such as school, work, relationships, or well-being.
The findings show that around one in ten learners met the criteria for problematic social media use in 2025. Rates were higher among girls, learners identifying as neither a boy nor a girl, and those from lower affluent families.
The briefing also highlights links between problematic social media use and a range of health and well-being outcomes. Learners reporting poorer mental health, experiences of bullying, higher levels of school pressure and difficulties sleeping were more likely to report problematic use. In contrast, stronger feelings of school belonging, higher levels of social support, and regular physical activity were associated with lower levels of problematic social media use.
Among the experiences reported most often by young people were using social media to escape negative feelings and finding it challenging to reduce the amount of time spent on social media.
Dr. Kelly Morgan, Principal Research Fellow and Director of SHRN, said:
“Social media plays an important role in many young people’s lives. While most learners do not experience significant challenges our findings suggest that around one in ten may be struggling with aspects of their social media use. Understanding these patterns can help inform how we support young people’s health and well-being.”
The spotlight briefing was led by Dr Shujun Liu from DECIPHer, Cardiff University School of Social and Spatial Sciences, , using data from The SHRN Student Health and Well-being Survey 2025. The survey forms part of SHRN’s ongoing programme of national health and wellbeing monitoring, providing evidence on the experiences of children and young people across Wales.
The findings provide new insight into problematic social media use among secondary school learners in Wales and the factors associated with it.
The data also contribute to Public Health Wales SHRN data dashboard, which supports ongoing monitoring of young people’s health and wellbeing in Wales.