Study finds 72% of Filipino youth feel lonely, sad

Nearly three-quarters of Filipino youth have reported feelings of loneliness and sadness as technology and digitalization affect their daily lives, according to a global study by insurance firm AXA and market research company Ipsos.

“This year’s findings show that stress is no longer showing up one challenge at a time,” AXA Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Ayman Kandil said in a statement on Monday.

“Filipinos are carrying multiple pressures at once and still trying to keep up with school, work, and daily life,” he added.

The 2026 Mind Health Report found that 72% of Filipino youth are lonely and sad despite their constant, immersive digital lives. 98% also flagged negative impacts of their 7.5 hours of daily screen time.

Among the negative effects cited in the report are sleep disruptions, fragmented attention, and emotional overstimulation. The report added that elevated stress, anxiety, and poor wellbeing linked to screen usage can lead to more frequent sick leaves and performance in school and work.

“When emotional strain starts affecting how people function every day, support cannot wait for burnout or crisis,” Mr. Kandil said.

“We need to make it easier for people to seek help early and nurture communities where mental wellbeing is treated as a shared responsibility,” he added.

A 2025 study by the Ateneo Center for Research and Innovation (ACRI) found that 76.4% of Filipino children exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended screen time limit.

WHO recommendations state that children under 2 years old must have no screen time, except for video calls, while children aged 2 to 5 can have up to one hour of high-quality screen time with supervision.

Children aged six to 18 must have consistent limits on screen use, screen-free times during meals and at bedtime, and guidance on media literacy and content quality.

Apart from the youth, 31% of Filipinos are in a “languishing” state amid persistent concerns about financial instability and rising social unrest.

Data from the Philippine Psychiatric Association revealed that there are only 651 psychiatrists, 516 psychiatric nurses, and 133 psychologists nationwide.

For every 200,000 Filipinos, the WHO noted that there is only one psychiatrist and one psychiatric nurse to provide professional mental health care, and one psychologist for every one million people.

The Philippine National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing in 2021 recorded nearly 14% of adult Filipinos experiencing a mental health disorder at some point in their lives.

To cope with the mental and emotional stress, Filipinos are relying on artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools for guidance and support.

The AXA report found that 29% of Filipinos, predominantly those aged 18 to 34 years old, regularly use AI for mental health management, higher than the global average of 21%.

However, 33% also felt uneasy after receiving AI guidance, and 25% received AI recommendations that led them to engage in harmful behavior.

“Filipinos are not just stressed; they are managing multiple, overlapping pressures with limited space to recover in between,” AXA said in a statement. “This reality calls for more accessible support, healthier coping environments, and stronger collective attention to mental wellbeing.” — Almira Louise S. Martinez