Social Media, Mental Health, and Pakistan's Gen Z: A Crisis Being Ignored

Pakistan's Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — are the first generation to have grown up entirely in the age of smartphones and social media. The data on what this has done to their mental health is not ambiguous, but the public conversation in Pakistan about these consequences is largely absent.

The Numbers

Pakistan has among the highest social media usage rates in the world relative to internet penetration. Young Pakistanis spend an average of seven to nine hours daily on social media platforms. For comparison, global averages are lower and Western policymakers have begun treating even those lower averages as a public health concern serious enough to warrant legislative action. In Pakistan, the conversation has barely started.

The Documented Harms

The research on social media and mental health consistently finds associations between heavy social media use and rates of anxiety, depression, poor sleep, and low self-esteem among adolescents — particularly girls. The mechanisms include social comparison, exposure to cyberbullying, disrupted sleep from screen use, and the displacement of face-to-face social interaction. These are not subtle effects — the associations are strong enough that multiple countries have implemented age restrictions and design regulations.

The Pakistani Context

Pakistan's context adds additional dimensions. Many young Pakistanis live in environments with limited opportunities for physical activity and social engagement outside the family. Social media fills a genuine void — providing connection, entertainment, and a sense of participation in a wider world — which makes the harms harder to address without providing meaningful alternatives.

What Needs to Happen

Ignoring this issue will not make it go away. Pakistan needs to develop awareness campaigns, school-based mental health support, and possibly regulatory frameworks that protect young people from the most harmful design features of social media platforms. The mental health consequences of heavy social media use compound over time. The time to act is now, not after the damage has fully compounded.