News

Social Media Addiction Is Greatly Impacting Arab Youth

A survey has revealed disturbing findings about social media consumption and its mental health impact on young people.

Published

2 years ago

October 12, 2023

Joanna Melki

social media addiction is greatly impacting arab youth

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As of 2023, the Arabic-speaking region has the highest per-capita levels of social media adoption globally, with the average internet user owning 8.4 accounts. Now, findings from the 15th annual ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey have shown that a significant majority of the region’s youth are finding it challenging to disconnect from social media — something that is negatively impacting their mental health.

The survey highlights that the Arab world’s youth spend in excess of 3.5 hours a day on social media. Nearly 75% of users admit to struggling to disconnect from digital platforms, with 61% conceding that their mental health has suffered due to social media addiction.

Social media addiction has meant that a consensus has formed among young Arabs that big tech companies — such as Meta, Google, and X — hold “too much power”. Over 90% of respondents also think these companies are not doing enough to combat disinformation.

Another trend revealed by the survey is that a significant percentage of respondents (13%) aspire to be “social media influencers” rather than taking up careers in typically prestigious fields such as medicine or engineering.

Also Read: The Largest Data Breaches In The Middle East

Despite the increasing time and energy spent on social media platforms, nearly 60% of Arab Youth say traditional social experiences such as “eating out” and “hanging out with friends” are defining elements of their lifestyles. The findings suggest that even in the digital age, in-person social experiences remain important.

The Arab Youth’s growing dependence on social media is concerning and is clearly impacting mental health. As the region battles with high levels of youth unemployment, the findings of the ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey call for a rethink of the role technology plays in the lives of young people and its impact on their future.

News

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Health Is A Private Space For Health Data

A new health mode lets the popular AI platform tap medical records and fitness apps while walling off sensitive information.

Published

6 days ago

January 8, 2026

Nour Nasir

OpenAI

OpenAI has created ChatGPT Health, a separate space inside its chatbot platform for handling medical and wellness data. The opt-in feature starts with a small US cohort before widening out.

Health-related questions have long driven traffic to AI tools. OpenAI says over 230 million people ask ChatGPT about health or insurance each week. The new mode adds personal context to that behavior but stops short of diagnosis or treatment advice.

Users can connect records from participating US providers through b.well and link apps such as Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, Function and Weight Watchers. Some links are US-only, while Apple Health needs iOS. Once connected, ChatGPT can surface patterns in labs, summarize information ahead of a clinic visit or help map diet and exercise choices against past data.

The data sits apart from other chat information. Health has its own memories and does not spill into other conversations. Users can view or delete health memories at any time. OpenAI says this material is not used to train its models.

Security is much heavier in this section too. Health adds isolation and purpose-built encryption on top of the platform’s baseline protections. App connections require explicit permission, and disconnecting cuts the feed immediately.

“ChatGPT Health is another step toward turning ChatGPT into a personal super-assistant that can support you with information and tools to achieve your goals across any part of your life,” wrote Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s applications chief.

Also Read: Deliverect Rolls Out Self-Order Kiosks Across MENA

Physicians had input during development, though OpenAI has not detailed how that shaped the end product. The launch follows Health Bench, a dataset released in May to test models on realistic medical cases.

While currently rooted in the US healthcare ecosystem, the approach may draw interest in the Gulf and wider MENA markets as governments push digital health records and patient portals under modernization programs. Adoption will depend on whether users trust an AI assistant with such personal material and whether it fits clinical routines.

For OpenAI, the move marks a cautious step into regulated terrain and signals a shift toward sector-specific uses of generative AI.