Japanese Survey: Nearly Half of People in Their 20s Experience Social Media Fatigue, Primarily Due to Information Overload

(CNA Tokyo, July 2) A "2026 Social Media Awareness Survey" released today by Japanese market research firm Cross Marketing shows that 47.9% of respondents in their 20s have experienced "social media fatigue," with information overload being the most cited reason overall.

The survey, conducted in June via online questionnaire among 3,000 men and women nationwide aged 20 to 69, collected 3,000 valid responses, according to The Nikkei.

"Social media fatigue" refers to a state of mental or physical exhaustion caused by using social media.

The survey results indicated that 44.6% of respondents have had thoughts of "wanting to distance themselves and take a break" while using social media. By gender, 47.5% of women and 41.7% of men reported having such thoughts.

When broken down by age group, individuals in their 20s reported the highest proportion of such feelings at 47.9%, followed closely by those in their 30s at 45.6%. Among women in their 20s and 30s, this proportion exceeded half.

When asked about the situations that lead to social media fatigue, "information overload" was the most common response at 39.5%. This was followed by "always seeing repetitive information" at 30.3%, and "encountering malicious comments or a tense online atmosphere" at 26.2%.

However, the situation varied slightly across different age groups. Among those in their 20s, the proportion of respondents who felt "drained by seeing others' posts" and "continuously scrolling despite wanting to stop" was significantly higher. For individuals in their 30s, "unintentionally comparing themselves to others" ranked among the top reasons.

The survey also revealed that 43.9% of respondents have experience "deliberately reducing their social media usage," with this figure reaching as high as 49.5% among those in their 20s. The primary reason cited for reducing usage was "feeling like it's a waste of time."

Furthermore, regarding content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) on social media platforms, 47.6% of respondents reported having seen it, while 29.4% were unsure. 34.5% believe such content will increase in the future, and 26.2% hold a negative impression, finding such content untrustworthy.

Finally, concerning "children's social media use," a significant 80.8% of respondents believe that restrictions should be imposed, whether through family or school regulations.

By age group, those in their 60s had the highest proportion holding this view at 88.2%, while those in their 20s had the lowest at 72.5%. Overall, 56.1% support substantive regulation through legislation. (Translation: Li Jing / Review: Chang Cheng-chi) 1150703

Stand with facts, your every donation is a force to protect press freedom

Download the CNA "First-Hand News" APP for real-time updates

This website's text, images, and videos may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.