Nearly six in 10 members of Generation Z enjoyed “high” or "very high” digital well-being in 2025, and those “Flourishing” online grew to more than one in 10 – the largest percentage to hit that high-water mark since the study began, new research shows.   

Forty-five percent of Gen Z respondents were “Thriving” online last year and 13% were “Flourishing,” up one and three percentage points, respectively, compared to the previous year’s results. A Thriving reading indicates “very positive” online experiences overall, while the Flourishing category suggests extremely positive interactions and activities. Slightly more than one-third (36%) registered Middling or mid-range experiences, and 6% were deemed to be Struggling, meaning they reported having consistently encountered negative online experiences and outcomes. The Middling and Struggling categories were down three and one percentage points, respectively, from 2024.

"It is encouraging to see more young people flourishing online despite the persistent challenges and common 'doom and gloom' narratives,” said Larry Magid, CEO of ConnectSafely. “Interestingly, the research shows that those who are Thriving are often the most deeply involved in digital life. With the right support and open dialogue between teens and parents, young people can navigate these spaces responsibly and turn their online interactions into positive, healthy experiences."

For the past four years, Snap has conducted cross-platform research into digital well-being and released the full findings on Safer Internet Day (SID). The results serve as our primary contribution to the overall technology ecosystem and add to the evidentiary base, which assists all of us in helping to create safer, healthier, and more positive digital experiences for everyone. Snap will undertake this particular study for one more year (2026) and release the fifth and final year of findings on SID 2027. The research covers Gen Z teens’ and young adults’ experiences on all platforms, services, and devices, with no particular focus on Snapchat.        

Social media: A commonality among those Flourishing 

Results show Gen Zers with higher digital well-being are more adept at managing and addressing online risk. For instance, 74% of those in the Flourishing category reported having been exposed to some online risk last year, while nearly nine in 10 (88%) of those deemed Struggling reported having encountered some online risk – a 14-percentage point difference. That gap widened to 16-percentage points when considering potential sexual extortion online. The graph below shows those in these two categories and their experience with risk behaviors known to be potential gateways to sexual extortion – like hacking, online grooming for sexual purposes, and catfishing.

In addition, findings show “deep involvement” with social media was a key characteristic among those Flourishing online. Three-quarters of respondents in the Flourishing category reported being heavily involved with social media, including their time spent, level of participation, and the overall importance of social media in their lives. As for those designated as Struggling, just one-quarter (25%) said they were deeply involved with social media. These results are also depicted in the graph below.  

The results are part of Snap’s ongoing research into Gen Z’s digital well-being and mark the latest installment of our Digital Well-Being Index (DWBI), an overall measure of how teens (aged 13-17) and young adults (aged 18-24) are faring online in six countries: Australia, France, Germany, India, the U.K., and the U.S. We also surveyed parents of 13-to-19-year-olds about their teens’ experiences with online risk. This latest poll was conducted between April 29 and May 10, 2025, and surveyed 9,037 respondents across the three age demographics and six geographies. 

Below are some additional high-level findings from Year 4:

• Across the six countries, online risk exposure among Gen Zers continued to inch higher in 2025 with eight in 10 respondents (81%) saying they experienced some risk – up one percentage point (80%) from 2024 and five percentage points (76%) since this research began in 2022.    

• Exposure to fake news ¹/misinformation (54%), threats of violence (47%), and unwanted contact (35%) were the three most-experienced digital risks in 2025, consistent with the previous three years’ results. Online impersonation (30%) and sexual risks (29%) rounded out the five most-experienced risks. 

• For the first time since the study began, we asked Gen Zers about their encounters, if any, with local gang recruitment and crews. Four percent of respondents across the six countries said they experienced this risk, the lowest risk-type encountered of the 15 included in the study.   

• Encouragingly, more teens than ever reached out for help after experiencing online risk. More than seven in 10 (71%) said they spoke with someone or sought help, up from 68% in 2024 and a low of 59% in 2023. Nearly nine in 10 parents (88%) said their teen told them about a risk incident, up two percentage points from each of the prior three years (86%). Still, fewer teens continued to come forward to discuss serious risks like self-harm and exposure to violent extremist or terrorist content. (There was basically no change in teens’ experience with these significant risks.)

• As with previous studies, the latest results continue to show that Gen Zers with more support assets available to them enjoy stronger digital well-being. A support asset is defined as someone at home, school, work, or in the broader community that the young person can approach with a problem or concern, who will listen to them, or believes the young person will be a success in life. Of Gen Zers with between nine and 12 support assets (highest band), almost two-thirds were from the Flourishing category (64%). Of those with zero to four support assets (lowest band), more than three-quarters (77%) were in the Struggling group.      

A number of these findings would seem to indicate that despite increased risk exposure, many Gen Zers are growing increasingly more resilient and are leveraging various tools and resources to help them address online issues. These signs underscore the ongoing need for digital and social media literacy and to further emphasize and strengthen analytical and critical-thinking skills.   

Year 4 DWBI 

The Digital Well-Being Index assigns a score of between 0 and 100 to each respondent based on their agreement with a range of sentiment statements. Individual respondent scores then generate specific country scores and a six-country average. Averaged across all six geographies, the 2025 DWBI ticked up one point to 64 from 63 in 2024. All things considered, this remains an average reading, but is net positive given the rise in risk exposure for teens. (Three-quarters (76%) of teens reported experiencing risk in 2025 compared to 73% the prior year; meanwhile, young adult risk exposure dipped a percentage point to 86% from 87% in 2024.) 

For the fourth year in a row, India registered the highest DWBI at 69, up two points from 2024 and the highest reading for any country thus far. India’s consistently stronger DWBI readings are underpinned by a culture of engaged and attentive parental support. The U.S. DWBI ticked up to 67, also the peak reading for that country since the study began and a two-point lift from 2024. Readings for all counties edged higher from the prior year. The U.K., France, and Germany’s DWBIs stand at 64, 60, and 61, respectively. Australia’s DWBI regained ground to register a reading of 63 after being the only country to inch lower in 2024. 

The index leverages the PERNA model, an adaptation of an established well-being theory ², comprising 20 sentiment statements across five categories: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Negative Emotion, and Achievement. Taking into account all of their online experiences on any device or app – not just Snapchat – over the preceding three months, respondents were asked to register their level of agreement with each of the 20 statements. For instance, “Generally felt what I did online was valuable and worthwhile,” in the Positive Emotion category, and “Have friends who really listen to me when I have something to say online,” under Relationships. (See here for a list of the 20 DWBI sentiment statements.) 

Teens in the U.S.: Apply to join the second cohort of our Council for Digital Well-Being 

Two years ago, to help animate this research and our ongoing commitment to teens online, we launched our inaugural Council for Digital Well-Being (CDWB), a pilot program for teens ages 13-16 in the U.S. Last August, we concluded that inaugural council, and its success led to two active “sister” councils in Australia and across Europe and the UK. We’re eager for a second cohort in the U.S., so we kicked off that application process last month. If you are or know a young teen who is passionate about improving digital experiences for all, consider applying! Details can be found here.   

Finally, Snap is delighted to again join ConnectSafely, the official organizer of SID in the U.S., at this year’s national event in Sacramento, California. Celebrated in more than 100 countries, SID is about empowering young people and adults to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively, and we plan to share some of these latest research findings to continue to help inform the global dialogue.     

For more about the latest DWBI and research, see our website, an updated explainer, the full research results, and each of the six localized country infographics: Australia, France, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

— Jacqueline Beauchere, Global Head of Platform Safety