Scroll through any social media feed and the contradictions appear instantly: starving children in Gaza, bombed streets, grieving families, followed seconds later by brunch clips, trending dances, or skincare routines. Unlike previous generations who read about tragedy in print, young people today experience it in real-time: livestreamed, replayed, and wedged between ads. There is no buffer, only the scroll.
“Sometimes I’m laughing at a meme, and then suddenly I see footage from Gaza or bombs flying over Lebanon, and I feel guilty for smiling,” says Marwan Ahmed, 18, an engineering student.
This endless stream is not merely background noise. For many young Egyptians, it is the environment in which they are growing up, one shaped by constant exposure to conflict, crisis, and instability, both online and offline.
In uncertain times, when futures feel unstable and structural support is limited, this transition becomes even more fragile.
According to a 2017 study published in Demographic Research, found that when there is a disconnect between a young person’s aspirations and what is actually achievable, due to economic hardship, job scarcity, or social constraints, mental health outcomes tend to worsen.
A Generation Defined by Crisis
Young people in Egypt have come of age over the past decade while navigating overlapping challenges, political unrest, economic uncertainty, and regional conflict. These are no longer distant historical moments; they unfold in real-time through screens and social feeds
The COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, disrupted education and daily life. Regional wars in Gaza, Syria, Yemen, and Sudan play out on screens daily. At the same time, Egypt’s economic situation continues to place strain on households. Inflation surpassed 35 percent in both 2023 and 2024, and repeated currency devaluations have made financial planning more difficult for many.
A 2025 report submitted to the United Nations by the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights describes how austerity and soaring costs have “severely deteriorated” access to basic needs, forcing citizens to focus on immediate survival rather than investing in long-term dreams.
Doomscrolling in a Time of Collapse
These pressures do not exist separately from the digital feed, they are entangled with it. Beyond information, the scroll often brings emotional fatigue and mental overload. War atrocities appear beside beauty tutorials. News of economic strain is interrupted by celebrity gossip and product ads.
A 2022 review by Harvard medical school linked compulsive doomscrolling to decreased life satisfaction, higher stress, and anxiety. Harvard researchers warn it triggers physical symptoms: insomnia, headaches, high blood pressure, and what some call “popcorn brain,” the inability to slow down, focus, or emotionally regulate after constant stimulation.
In Egypt, this kind of digital overload often hits closer to home. For young people, doomscrolling means witnessing violence in nearby countries and reading about financial instability within their own. The feed becomes a mix of distant tragedy and immediate concern, making it harder to step back or make sense of what is unfolding.
Coping, Contradictions, and the Cost of Staying Connected
For young Egyptians today, digital exposure is not something separate from daily life, it is how life is processed, understood, and at times, endured. The line between global events and personal experience has thinned, shaped by an algorithm that rarely pauses.
This dissonance becomes routine. Attention spans fray, a 2022 study by Microsoft found that the average human attention span has dropped to about eight seconds, down from 12 seconds in 2000, due in part to constant digital stimulation. Long-term planning feels abstract, and protecting one’s mental space feels like an act of quiet resistance.
In uncertain times, when futures feel unstable and structural support is limited, this transition becomes even more fragile. According to a 2017 study published in Demographic Research, it was found that when there is a disconnect between a young person’s aspirations and what is actually achievable, due to economic hardship, job scarcity, or social constraints, mental health outcomes tend to worsen.
The weight Egypt’s youth carry is not only emotional but structural: a system that demands resilience without providing stability. In this environment, growing up means learning to live with contradictions, to build small hopes on shaky ground, and to keep scrolling even when the feed never stops delivering crises.
Comment (1)
Excellent article very well said.