“If only youth came twice.” A wistful saying for those approaching life’s twilight. Yet, disturbingly, today’s youth—those just setting out with supposedly endless possibilities—seem not to share in the promise, hope, and vitality once tied to their age.
For the first time, a major international study spanning over two million people in 44 countries has revealed a striking shift. The world is no longer battling a “midlife crisis”—it is facing a “young age crisis.”
Published in the open-access journal PLOS One, the findings show that negative feelings about life peak earlier than ever, striking hardest in adolescence and young adulthood. Surprisingly, life satisfaction now improves after age 50.
This reversal, researchers warn, points to a burgeoning global mental health emergency, one that primarily threatens those who should be shaping the future—but who increasingly feel they have none.
The Happiness Curve That Broke
For decades, scientists agreed that human happiness followed a U-shaped curve. First described in 2008, the model showed that life satisfaction starts high in youth, dips in midlife (around age 50), and then rises again in older age.
It explained the familiar “midlife crisis”: dissatisfaction, burnout, and despair that eventually gave way to renewed purpose and acceptance in later years.
But that curve is collapsing.
“Mental health now deteriorates rapidly in early life, stays relatively stable through midlife, and improves steadily in older age,”
says Dr. Alex Bryson, Professor of Quantitative Social Science at University College London and co-author of the study, alongside researchers from Dartmouth College (US) and the UK’s Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The new data shows that today’s young people are derailing the U-curve. They report the highest levels of psychological distress compared with older adults, who demonstrate greater resilience despite life’s continued challenges.
A Global Phenomenon
The researchers first analyzed U.S. data covering more than 10 million adults from 1993 to 2024, collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). UK data, drawn from the ongoing UK Household Longitudinal Study of 40,000 households, spanned 2009–2023.
Both revealed the same pattern: young people’s mental health is in free fall, while middle-aged and older adults remain comparatively stable.
A second analysis of nearly two million participants across 44 countries (2020–2025), using data from the Global Minds project, confirmed the trend worldwide. Alarmingly, the study linked this decline to rising suicide attempts among young people, especially in the United States since 2022.
Screens, Social Media, and Silent Suffering
Why are young people suffering so acutely? The answers remain complex, but technology is a prime suspect.
“Screen dependency plays a central role,” explains Dr. Bryson. “Smartphones, social media, endless videos—they are reshaping how young people live, interact, and think.”
Studies show that excessive screen time exacerbates:
- Social comparison and online bullying
- Cognitive overload from constant digital stimulation
- Disconnection from real-life relationships and activities
- Higher risk of depression, particularly among teenage girls
The European Commission recently reported rising suicide rates among 15–19-year-olds in 12 European countries between 2011 and 2022, reinforcing the scale of the crisis.
The Burden of Work, Money, and COVID
Screens aren’t the only culprit. Economic and social pressures weigh heavily on younger generations.
- Job insecurity: The 2008 financial crisis scarred youth prospects, slashing opportunities for stable, fulfilling work.
- Underfunded mental health services: Even when young people seek help, access is limited.
- COVID-19: The pandemic worsened an already fragile situation, hitting youth and midlife adults hardest. Yet, tellingly, the decline in mental health began years before the pandemic.
A Crisis Demanding Urgent Action
For Dr. Bryson and his colleagues, the conclusion is clear:
“For the first time, in many countries, young adults report worse mental health than older generations. Distress decreases with age. This is a profound reversal—and a warning signal of a serious mental health crisis among youth.”
What can be done? Solutions remain elusive, but researchers point to urgent areas for intervention:
- Reducing harmful screen exposure
- Improving access to quality jobs
- Expanding mental health support services
The team is now working with the United Nations to prioritize youth mental health globally, recognizing that failing to act risks a crisis that could destabilize societies for decades.
The Future at Stake
If today’s youth—tomorrow’s leaders—are buckling under despair, the consequences extend far beyond individual suffering.
The “young age crisis” is more than a generational problem; it is a global challenge that could define the future of humanity itself.
