The use of social media is contributing to declining attention spans, emotional volatility, and compulsive behaviours among young people, reveals a new report by NTU Singapore and Singapore-based research agency Research Network, in collaboration with US-based AI platform ListenLabs.ai.

The study, conducted across Singapore and Australia, surveyed 583 young people aged 13 to 25, and their parents. It found that prolonged social media use is associated with difficulties in sustaining focus, increased emotional fatigue, and behaviours resembling addiction. 

This is the first cross-cultural study of its kind to explore the societal effects of social media from both Eastern and Western perspectives, using an advanced AI-powered interview platform that enables emotionally attuned, large-scale conversations with young people and their parents.

These findings also complement earlier neuroscience studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which show that social media activates the brain’s dopamine reward pathways in ways that closely resemble addictive behaviour. The report is the first in a new series of white papers aimed at informing public discourse and policymaking on Gen Z’s digital use.