…Social media, mental health, and Africa’s leadership gap
By Ing. Prof. Douglas Boateng
There is a quiet revolution taking place across Europe, North America, Oceania, and parts of Asia. It is not about oil. It is not about tariffs. It is not about military alliances. It is about children.
Governments, psychologists, educators, and policymakers are increasingly asking difficult questions about the unintended consequences of social media on young minds. Anxiety levels are rising. Depression statistics are climbing. Attention spans are shrinking. Sleep patterns are collapsing. Identity is becoming algorithmically manufactured. Parliaments are holding hearings. Tech companies are being summoned. Regulations are being drafted. Age limits are being debated. School phone bans are being introduced.
And Africa? Africa is scrolling.
More Read
What is wrong with us?
The global alarm is loud
In the United States, congressional hearings have grilled major social media executives over the mental health implications of their platforms. Research from institutions such as the American Psychological Association increasingly links excessive social media use to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and loneliness among teenagers.
More Read
In the United Kingdom, policymakers have debated online safety legislation aimed at protecting minors from harmful content. Several European countries have implemented school-based phone restrictions. France has already banned smartphones in primary schools. China has imposed limits on gaming hours for minors and introduced stricter digital content regulations aimed at youth exposure. South Korea has long recognised digital addiction as a public health issue.
The debate is not whether social media has benefits. It does. The debate is about dosage, design, and developmental vulnerability. The world is asking, cautiously but urgently: What is this doing to our children? And Africa? Africa is still forwarding memes.
NyansaKasa (words of wisdom) whispers: “When the fire starts in your neighbour’s house, wise people check their own roofs.”
Our youth are not immune
Africa has the youngest population in the world. By 2050, one in four people globally is forecasted to be African. Our youth are digital natives. Smartphones are more accessible than textbooks. Data bundles are cheaper than many meals. In cities from Lagos to Nairobi, from Accra to Johannesburg, young people spend hours scrolling, posting, comparing, reacting, and refreshing. The algorithms do not discriminate by continent. If social media amplifies insecurity in Los Angeles, why would it not do the same in Lusaka? If online comparison fuels anxiety in London, why would it not affect teenagers in Kigali? Yet our national conversations are silent.
More Read
NyansaKasa (words of wisdom) chuckles gently: “The mosquito does not check your passport before biting.”
We are passive observers of a digital experiment
Social media platforms were not designed with African cultural contexts in mind. They were engineered for engagement. Engagement means time. Time means advertising revenue.
The more outrage, the more attention.
The more comparisons, the more scrolling.
The more emotional triggers, the longer the stay.
Teenagers everywhere are caught in the same psychological loop. Validation through likes. Identity through filters. Social standing through metrics. European and American policymakers are now scrutinising how these feedback loops affect dopamine cycles, sleep deprivation, and self-esteem. And African leaders? Many have not uttered a word.
What is wrong with us?
NyansaKasa (words of wisdom) observes: “When you allow others to test medicine on their children, do not assume your own child is immune.”
The culture of waiting
There is a disturbing pattern in our policymaking behaviour. We wait.
We wait for Europe to regulate.
We wait for America to debate.
We wait for Asia to experiment.
Then we import the template and adapt it slowly, reluctantly, incompletely. It is as if we believe innovation and foresight belong to others. As if leadership must be borrowed. But Africa is not a small laboratory. It is home to over a billion people. It is the youngest continent on Earth, demographically. If any region should be leading digital youth protection conversations, it should be Africa. Yet we remain spectators.
NyansaKasa (words of wisdom) laughs quietly: “The man who waits for instructions will always arrive after the harvest.”
The psychological cost we do not measure
What is the cost of:
• A generation measuring self-worth through screens?
• Children exposed to curated lifestyles that distort reality?
• Young boys absorbing hyper-aggressive masculinity from digital echo chambers?
• Young girls internalising unrealistic beauty standards?
Mental health infrastructure in many African countries is already fragile. Youth unemployment remains high. Economic frustration simmers beneath the surface. Now add algorithmic comparison, digital bullying, misinformation, and addictive design. We are layering vulnerability upon vulnerability.
NyansaKasa (words of wisdom) warns softly: “A fragile roof does not need heavier rain.”
The humour we use to hide discomfort
We laugh about addiction. We joke about people who cannot sleep without checking notifications. We giggle about influencers and viral trends. We mock parents who struggle to limit screen time. Sometimes the laughter becomes uncontrollable. But beneath the humour is discomfort. We know something is shifting. Attention spans are shorter. Patience is thinner. Real conversations are replaced by reaction emojis.
NyansaKasa (words of wisdom) smiles with irony: “When people laugh too loudly, sometimes they are hiding a quiet fear.”
Africa’s silence is not neutral
Silence is a position
When African governments say nothing about digital youth protection, they are not being cautious. They are being absent. Our education systems rarely address digital literacy beyond basic access. Few national strategies discuss algorithm awareness, mental resilience, or online psychological safety. If European countries are debating age limits and screen restrictions, why is Africa not asking similar questions? Are we waiting for research papers written elsewhere to tell us what our own eyes can see?
NyansaKasa (words of wisdom) asks pointedly: “Must the mirror come from abroad before we believe our reflection?”
Why are we always following?
This question cuts deeper than social media. Why do we wait for Western policy signals before acting? Why do we rarely pioneer global debates on issues that affect us most? Africa leads in mobile money innovation. Africa leapfrogged traditional banking systems. We have proven that we can innovate when urgency demands it.
So what is wrong with us when it comes to youth digital wellbeing?
Is it lack of expertise? No. African psychologists, educators, and tech professionals exist.
Is it lack of evidence? No. Global data is abundant.
Is it lack of urgency? Perhaps.
NyansaKasa (words of wisdom) states firmly: “Those who know but do not act choose the outcome silently.”
What must change
- First, African governments must publicly acknowledge the issue. Silence suggests indifference.
- Second, digital literacy must become core curriculum. Young people must understand algorithms, attention traps, and psychological manipulation.
- Third, local research must be funded. African data on youth mental health and digital behaviour must inform African policy.
- Fourth, partnerships with technology companies must prioritise child protection, not only connectivity.
- Finally, leadership must shift from reactive to proactive.
NyansaKasa (words of wisdom) reminds us: “A shepherd who studies the wolf early loses fewer sheep.”
Conclusion – what is wrong with us?
What is wrong with us is not that we use social media.
What is wrong with us is that we use it without questioning it.
What is wrong with us is not that our youth are digital.
What is wrong with us is that we refuse to lead conversations about their digital future.
We have the youngest population in the world, yet we behave as if youth protection is someone else’s policy priority. We complain about unemployment, distraction, and declining focus, yet ignore one of the most powerful behavioural forces shaping our children daily.
We wait for Europe.
We wait for America.
We wait for Asia.
We wait for Oceania.
And while we wait, our youth scroll.
NyansaKasa (words of wisdom) leaves us with an uncomfortable truth: “The future does not wait for permission.”
If Africa continues to follow in matters that shape the psychology of its youth, it will inherit consequences designed elsewhere. History will not ask whether we had smartphones. It will ask whether we had foresight. And perhaps the most piercing question of all: Did we protect our children, or did we wait for others to decide how?
That is what is wrong with us.
And that is what must change.
-About the Author-
>>>Ing. Professor Douglas Boateng is a globally recognised governance and industrialisation strategist, known for advancing long-term, institution-focused leadership across Africa. A chartered engineer and boardroom governance authority, he works at the intersection of policy, board leadership, and economic transformation. He is the Convenor of the Boardroom Governance Summit, one of Africa’s leading platforms for chairs, CEOs, regulators, and policymakers to shape governance practice for generational impact. His work champions governance as national infrastructure—arguing that strong institutions, not strong personalities, drive sustainable development.
Professor Boateng is a leading voice on industrialisation, supply-chain strategy, board effectiveness, and generational leadership, with advisory roles across public and private sectors. He is also the creator of NyansaKasa, a widely followed series of reflective governance and life proverbs circulating across Africa and the diaspora. His writing blends insight, satire, and moral clarity to challenge comfortable thinking, urging leaders to govern for the unborn and to measure success not by applause, but by the strength of the institutions they leave behind.
