Politics

How you scroll matters: passive social media use linked to loneliness

Published

5 months ago

January 18, 2025

how-you-scroll-matters:-passive-social-media-use-linked-to-loneliness

Passive consumption of social media seems to reinforce feelings of disconnection, according to a JRC policy brief which examines the relationship between social media use and loneliness.

Social media has become an inescapable part of daily life. It facilitates global connectivity, allowing individuals to engage in conversations, collaborate, and share thoughts, photos, and ideas. It has transformed how people form relationships and build communities, free from geographical and other barriers and has enabled constant communication with friends and family, allowing for immediate and interactive responses.

Yet for many, especially younger users, social media appears to deliver a more complex outcome. In-person communications have dropped concomitantly to the drastic increase in the time spent online, which has led many to question the potential impact of social media on wellbeing in general and loneliness in particular.

In the policy brief Loneliness and social media use in the European Union, the JRC provides the first European-level analysis of social media use patterns and the association between intensive social media use and loneliness. The data was taken from the 2022 EU-wide survey on loneliness (EU-LS) conducted by the JRC, and reveals that, when it comes to the loneliness experienced by young Europeans, it’s not so much the hours spent on social platforms that matter most—it’s the how.

Passive scrolling vs active engagement

The JRC study, which examines social media use patterns across Europe, reveals that approximately 34.5% and 26.1% of respondents aged 16-30 use social networking sites and instant messaging tools for more than two hours per day. Additionally, over one-third of young respondents show patterns consistent with social media addiction like neglecting work, family or school for social media use multiple times a week. For those aged 31 and above, these figures are significantly lower.

The empirical analysis suggests that spending more than two hours daily on social networking sites is associated with a substantial increase in loneliness prevalence, but the results also point to a critical distinction. While intensive passive use of social media correlates with greater loneliness, there is no significant association between intensive use of instant messaging tools, or between active use of social media and loneliness.

This distinction points to the fact that the type of engagement, not just the time spent on it, is a key factor in whether social media has an effect on loneliness.

Policy implications and next steps

The JRC’s findings align with previous research on the matter and are especially timely, as on the day of her election, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in the Political Guidelines for 2024–2029 that “an EU-wide inquiry on the broader impacts of social media on well-being“ of young people will be launched. In the meantime, the JRC will continue this work alongside the Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, exploring the effects of adolescents’ social media habits on their well-being, mental health, and academic achievement.

Background

Social media’s role in modern life is undeniable, but its unintended consequences demand attention. The EU’s focus on young people’s mental health underscores the importance of these findings, which can inform policies for healthier digital engagement.

This policy brief is part of a series of publications related to the European Parliament pilot project “Monitoring Loneliness in Europe”, initiated by the European Parliament and implemented jointly by the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and the JRC.

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Politics

New plan will help EU countries tackle cyber-attacks better

Published

13 hours ago

June 7, 2025

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Politics

EYE2025 (European Youth Event): thousands to celebrate the power of democracy | News

Published

13 hours ago

June 7, 2025

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EYE2025 (European Youth Event) will be opened by Parliament Vice-president Sabine Verheyen (EPP, DE) on Friday 13 June at 10:00 in the EYE village. Vice-president Nicolae Ştefănuță (Greens/EFA, RO) will take part in a session dedicated to the next long-term budget, on Saturday at 15:00. The closing session, with Vice-president Pina Picierno (S&D, IT), will take place on Saturday at 16:45.

Over the two days, there will be panel discussions with MEPs and other EU decision-makers, as well as with experts, activists and content creators. Debates between MEPs and the young participants will cover climate justice, skills for the future, the EU’s next long-term budget, and freedom of speech and media, among many other topics.

Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef will lead a Youth Policy Dialogue on Friday at 11:00, and take part in a panel discussion on young people’s mental health that afternoon. Executive Vice-President of the Commission, Henna Virkkunen will join in a conversation on how technology can strengthen democracy, on Friday at 15:00.

Other guest speakers are democracy activist Daria Navalnya, the Kayapo Amazonian tribal leader Chief Tau Metuktire and the Mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian.

The programme also includes workshops on a wide range of issues that concern young people, from disinformation to housing and migration. Quizzes, tours, artistic performances, storytelling workshops and concerts are other options among more than 450 activities organised for the sixth edition of EYE.

All sessions in the hemicycle will be streamed live on the EYE2025 Facebook page and via Parliament’s Multimedia Centre. More details about the schedule, speakers and activities are available on the European Youth Event website.

Press briefing

On Friday 13 June at 16:30, there will be a press briefing with Vice-president Verheyen on media freedom in the EU, in the Daphne Caruana Galizia press conference room. You can follow it live here.

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Politics

Galician healthcare system receives nearly €510 million in EU support for its modernisation

Published

13 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Jade Boren

The European Commission supports the development of the new A Coruña university hospital complex (CHUAC) in the city of A Coruña, located in the Spanish region of Galicia. The grant of nearly €60 million awarded under the Public Sector Loan Facility (PSLF), as part of the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM), complements a loan of €450 million provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Xunta de Galicia’s own resources, bringing the total investment to €600 million.

This social infrastructure project of regional interest aims to expand and modernise the existing hospital complex in A Coruña. It is one of Xunta de Galicia’s major actions to strengthen its public healthcare system. The new hospital complex will include state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities to provide comprehensive and high-quality healthcare and medical services for patients.

The resulting modern and sustainable healthcare infrastructure will improve the provision of health services and the quality of life of the citizens of Galicia, which in turn will enhance regional convergence with a significant impact on the local economy and employment.

Thanks to this project, around 564 000 people are expected to benefit from more efficient, accessible and quality health services in A Coruña and the surrounding areas. The project is also expected to create an estimated 6 140 direct and indirect jobs related to health infrastructure, representing approximately 1.3% of the employed population in A Coruña. With its energy efficiency measures, bioclimatic architecture, as well as sustainable and smart resources management, the project can substantially contribute to climate change mitigation.

This investment therefore plays a crucial role in mitigating the long-term socioeconomic consequences of the coal-fired plants closures in the region, while promoting a sustainable and an inclusive recovery for Galicia in the context of the region’s ageing demographic and green transitions.

Emma Toledano Laredo, Director at the European Commission (DG REGIO), said:

The European Commission, together with CINEA and the EIB, is very proud to bring the new A Coruña university hospital complex to life thanks to the Public Sector Loan Facility. This green, innovative and people-first project will enhance the provision of healthcare to Galicians, while bringing jobs to the region. This is yet another example of how a just and green transition can bring improvement in all sectors of a regional economy and its people.

Paloma Aba Garrote, Director of CINEA, added:

The new A Coruña university hospital complex is an excellent example of how the Public Sector Loan Facility can support European regions in their transition towards climate neutrality and improve people’s lives. Together with our partners, we are proud to invest in a sustainable and modern healthcare infrastructure, which will provide high-quality and accessible services for Galicians while fostering social cohesion, regional convergence and sustainability.

A spokesperson for the Xunta de Galicia regional government stated:

This project aiming to modernise and expand the A Coruña university hospital complex is a fundamental investment to develop the Galician healthcare infrastructure. Galicia is the first Spanish region to receive support from the Public Sector Loan Facility. Moreover, the new CHUAC project has been awarded the biggest PSLF grant so far, amounting to €59.3 million.

About PSLF

The Public Sector Loan Facility (PSLF) is the third pillar of the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) – a key tool of the European Green Deal Investment Plan to make sure that no one and no region is left behind in the transition to a climate-neutral economy.

The PSLF combines loans from the European Investment Bank (up to around €6-8 billion) with grants from the European Commission (up to €1.3 billion). The combined support is designed to mobilise additional investments for public sector entities in the regions most affected by the green transition as identified in the Territorial Just Transition Plans, to meet their development needs as they move towards a climate-neutral economy. Each Member State creates these plans to identify the challenges faced by just transition regions, along with their development needs and targets for 2030.

The combination of the European Investment Bank loan and the EU grant will help fund projects that do not generate enough revenues to cover their costs.

PSLF is managed by DG REGIO and implemented by CINEA.

About DG REGIO

The Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) is the department of the European Commission responsible for EU policies on regions and cities. It develops and carries out the Commission’s policies on regional and urban policy. It assists the economic and social development of the developed and less developed regions across the European Union.

About CINEA

The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) is an Executive Agency established by the European Commission to implement parts of EU funding programmes for transport, energy, climate action, environment and maritime fisheries and aquaculture. CINEA aims to assist its beneficiaries, establish strong partnerships, deliver high-quality programme and project management, foster effective knowledge sharing and create synergies between programmes – to support a sustainable, connected, and decarbonised Europe.

About the EIB

The European Investment Bank (EIB), whose shareholders are the 27 Member States of the European Union, is the EU’s long-term financing institution. The EIB provides loans to the public and private sectors to support high-quality investments contributing to the achievement of the EU headline targets.

Visit the PSLF webpage on CINEA website to find out more about the Facility and the projects it funds.