Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Social media struggle is real for Gen Z
Mental health | Gen Z | Digital
May 22, 2023 – Across generations, social media users report more positive effects than negative ones related to their use of the technology—except for Gen Z. Based on findings from the McKinsey Health Institute’s Global Gen Z Survey, partner Erica Coe and coauthors explain that female Gen Zers, in particular, experience negative effects from social media use—related to body image, self-confidence, and fear of missing out—compared with their male counterparts.
Interactive
To read the article, see “Gen Z mental health: The impact of tech and social media,” April 28, 2023.
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Visual form
Slide sequence of diverging bar charts.
Layout / body structure
Each slide uses one life dimension at a time, with four generational cohorts arranged left to right and paired bars split above and below a central baseline so the reader can move slide by slide through the reported effects.
What is being compared
It compares positive and negative reported effects of social media across Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers for dimensions such as fear of missing out, body image, and self-confidence or self-esteem.
Measurement system
The measure is percent of respondents who use social media, with positive shares labeled in the upper bars and negative shares labeled in the lower bars for each generation on each slide.
Visible structure inside the graphic
Every frame repeats the same anatomy: one left-hand topic label, four cohort columns, a bright upper positive block, a darker lower negative block, and numeric labels inside the blocks so each slide reads as the same comparison template applied to a different social-media effect.
Main takeaway from the visual
Gen Z consistently carries the heaviest negative load on the sensitive measures in the sequence, while older generations show smaller negative blocks and a wider gap between the positive and negative sides of the chart.
Key standout values or extremes
On the fear-of-missing-out slide, Gen Z shows 25 percent positive versus 27 percent negative while millennials show 32 percent positive versus 18 percent negative; on body image, Gen Z shows 25 percent negative versus 7 percent for baby boomers; and on self-confidence or self-esteem, Gen Z shows 19 percent negative versus 5 percent for baby boomers.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
The reader advances through a multi-slide sequence, with each frame swapping in a new life dimension while preserving the same four-generation bar layout so cross-slide comparison stays consistent.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart is the full visual on this page.