Social media is having a direct impact on the lives and well-being of young people in Luxembourg, according to the National Report on the Situation of Young People over the past five years, presented on Monday by Education Minister Claude Meisch. The report found that 80 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 are active on social media for more than two hours a day.
Meisch argued that limiting smartphone use in schools and encouraging more analogue activities was therefore the right path forward. “There are still some adjustments here and there that need to be made,” he said. “On the one hand, offering far more analogue activities again, and on the other, we are currently having very concrete conversations here in Luxembourg and across Europe about banning social media up to a certain age, simply to give young people the chance to spend their time offline, to enjoy time with friends and to grow through those experiences.”
The minister also confirmed that the government backs a social media ban for young people and would be prepared to act unilaterally should agreement at EU level not be reached quickly enough.
Young people are reporting greater levels of anxiety, and general well-being is declining, with growing numbers feeling less content and increasingly worried about the geopolitical situation and the state of society. This in part explains the growing appetite for offline social interaction. Yet, despite more young people wishing to meet face to face, such gatherings have in fact dipped over the past five years. Chief among their fears is the prospect of war in Europe, followed by concerns about disease and the environment.
The National Report on the Situation of Young People is produced every five years. This is the fourth time the University of Luxembourg has carried out such an analysis on behalf of the Ministry of Education, with the university’s Centre for Childhood and Youth Research again leading the work.
