The finding adds a Nigerian perspective to the debate about social media and wellbeing, but does not establish that spending more time online improves mental health.
For a young person, the same phone can carry a job lead, a conversation with a friend and a stream of upsetting news. Those different experiences can get lost when discussions about social media focus mainly on hours spent scrolling.
A new Gallup report suggests the relationship between social media and wellbeing among young Nigerians deserves a closer look.
The 2026 State of the World’s Emotional Health report places Nigeria among countries where time spent on social media has a positive association with how people aged 15–29 rate their lives.
In a country-level map on page 15, Nigeria falls into the category Gallup describes as a “moderately large positive association”. This means that, in the analysis, greater time spent on social media was associated with more favourable overall life ratings among young respondents.
The pattern differs from that shown for countries including the United States, Canada and Australia, where the map identifies a negative association.
However, the Nigerian finding needs careful interpretation. It does not establish that social media makes young people happier, or that spending longer online is beneficial.
What the researchers measured
The report examines social media use and wellbeing among people aged 15 and older in 97 countries, including Nigeria.
Respondents were asked whether they had used social media during the previous seven days and how much time they typically spent using it each day. They also rated their lives on a scale from zero, representing their worst possible life, to 10, representing their best possible life.
That rating captures how people judge their lives overall. It is different from a diagnosis of depression or anxiety.
Gallup’s statistical analysis accounted for factors including age, gender, education, household income, employment, internet use, health problems and social support. Even so, the study cannot determine whether social media use influences wellbeing, whether wellbeing influences social media use, or whether other circumstances help explain the relationship.
The report’s map also does not provide Nigeria’s exact estimate or indicate whether the country’s positive association is statistically significant.
A positive life rating does not tell the whole story
Across the countries surveyed, the relationship between social media and emotional health was mixed.
Compared with moderate users, people who spent two hours or more a day on social media were more likely to report anger, loneliness, sadness, stress and worry after adjustment for other factors.
Moderate use was defined as 30 minutes to less than two hours daily.
These are international findings, rather than results reported specifically for Nigeria. They nevertheless show why a positive association with life ratings should not be interpreted as evidence that heavy users experience no emotional difficulties.
People can feel reasonably satisfied with their lives while also experiencing loneliness, worry or sadness.
Questions for Nigeria
The Nigerian result opens up questions about what young people gain from being online and what causes them distress.
Do online friendships provide support? Does access to work, learning or business opportunities influence how people see their future? How do harassment, distressing content and disrupted sleep fit into that picture?
Gallup’s survey cannot answer these questions. It did not measure which platforms respondents used, what they encountered online or whether their use was compulsive or disruptive. For Nigeria, the finding provides a starting point for further research into young people’s digital lives. Understanding the relationship will require listening to their experiences alongside examining the numbers.