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Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-892139
Why Israeli Youth Remain Positive during War
(Jerusalem Post) Lilac Sigan - One of the most striking findings of the latest World Happiness Report is that young Israeli adults under 25 ranked 3rd in the world in life satisfaction scores, says Anat Fanti, a happiness and well-being researcher at Bar-Ilan University. This is in contrast to a well-being crisis among young adults in the U.S. who rank in 60th place. "The 2026 report is dedicated to the impact of social media use on the well-being of young people," she explains. "It applies particularly to platforms driven by algorithmically selected content, like TikTok, that pushes young people to endlessly scroll through negative or distressing content online. Such platforms tend to show a distinctly negative correlation with mental well-being." "It's not that Israeli youth are unaffected...but in Israel, at 18, you join the military and your life changes. There's the moment when the young adult from the social media world meets real life in its full intensity, especially in the past 2.5 years of war. Young people here can't really live in the illusion of social media - they're forced to confront reality." "In Israel, the reality encountered within the IDF...ultimately produces something far healthier - far more communal and meaningful. In 2025, Israeli youth ranked first in the world in the quality of their social connections. That contributes enormously to happiness and well-being." "Young adults 25 and under in Israel are those serving in the military and doing reserve duty, carrying an enormous weight of responsibility towards the entire population. That's the sense of meaning and clear purpose that Israeli existence provides, in addition to the fact that Israel is a country with an extraordinary family and friendship infrastructure, where everyone feels that every soldier in the IDF is their own child." "These young people are our future. They are negatively affected by social media like every other young person in the world, but in the end, they are more grounded through real-life situations, their friends, their family, and the entire country's social support and mutual generosity."