Ithra’s Global Digital Wellbeing Report: UAE public sees AI as predominantly beneficial force

Largest of its kind survey covering over 35,000 digitally connected people in 35 nations across five continents in 2023. Compelling insights under six key global themes: Balance, AI, Social Media, Gaming, Work and Regulations.

Announces first edition of the Global Digital Wellbeing Index 2024; Gulf countries top the digital connectivity ranking, with UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait in the top 5 positions.

Dubai: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) announced the findings of its second Digital Wellbeing Global Report as well as the inaugural launch of its Global Digital Wellbeing Index. The Digital Wellbeing Global Report identifies unique insights on the fast-changing relationship of people with technology and how they aspire to gain more control over in the digital realm. The Global Digital Wellbeing Index provides a country-level benchmark and a path to action for policymakers looking to improve digital wellbeing for the populations they serve.

2024 Digital Wellbeing Global Report

The basis of the new Digital Wellbeing Global Report is a survey of 35,000 members of the public, all over 18 years of age, in 35 nations across five continents, more than double the number of participants in the first Digital Wellbeing Global Report in 2021. Ithra, along with partners, designed and completed the largest-of-its-kind survey to provide valuable knowledge on how people view their digital lives.

The findings of the updated survey offer unique insights across six pertinent themes: Balanced use of technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), social media, gaming, work, and government regulation. Notably, a key discovery is the widespread support for pausing further AI development until regulations are established. A substantial 78% of the UAE public views AI as a positive force. Additionally, residents in the UAE express confidence in their government’s capacity to regulate internet content. Globally, respondents of all ages are increasingly adopting conscious digital consumption habits, with a majority now choosing to spend their online time intentionally rather than engaging in purposeless scrolling.

Introducing the Global Digital Wellbeing Index to drive action towards higher digital wellbeing

Ithra also announced the inaugural edition of the Global Digital Wellbeing Index (DWI), a country-level assessment which ranks 35 countries based on 94 selected indicators derived from policy analysis, statistical data, and survey results across 12 pillars. The index aims to help stakeholders find new evidence-based solutions to optimize opportunities and minimize potential negative impacts of digital technology.

The 12 pillars assessed are: Social cohesion; Mental health; Physical health; Ability to disconnect; Information quality; Cybersafety; Connectivity; Social connectedness; Education and skills; Work, productivity, and income; Entertainment and culture; and Access to services and goods. The research highlights leaders in each of the categories, as well as the areas where policymakers and businesses can focus their efforts.

Ithra’s DWI reveals that Canada leads the ranking in digital wellbeing followed by Australia, Singapore, Estonia, and France. Within the 12 pillars, leadership and best practice emerge from different parts of the world. Examples include Saudi Arabia which excels in connectivity, China which has supportive policies for digital mental health in place and was a front runner in recognizing digital addiction, and Colombia, which is improving digital literacy and awareness for young women through dedicated programs. In addition to achieving 100% score in connectivity, the UAE leads in social connectedness, reflecting advanced digital infrastructure and remarkable social engagement.​ Its “Digital Wellbeing Program” and the Council for Digital Wellbeing, promote digital literacy, safe online behavior, and quality content exposure. The Index also highlights common challenges across countries which require focus, like the ability to disconnect.

Announcing the findings, Wadha Alnafjan, Head of Digital Wellbeing (Sync) at Ithra, said: “Accelerating potential and inspiring minds is the core ethos of everything we do at Ithra. This deep data dive for this global survey reflects thousands of hours of hard work by several teams. In turn, this shows our collective passion, enabling us to better understand how talent and creativity can thrive at home and across international borders in a vastly digital era.”

She added: “These exclusive insights are especially important in today’s world, as we live in the most transformative time in modern human history – and technology is a primary driver of that change. Already, approximately 65% of the global population are online, equating to more than 5 billion people. The DWI clearly shows that the many stakeholders engaged in the digital ecosystem need to take action to ensure that digital technologies have a positive impact on humanity. We hope that this research will enable actors to drive ambitious measures to protect the most vulnerable from negative side effects of technology.”

Fahad AlBeyahi, Lead of Sync’s Research Workstream at Ithra, highlighted the importance of continual improvements: “The benefits of the hyper speed, convenience, and learnings we gain from embracing digitalization in our lives is nigh impossible to summarize. Equally, no system is perfect. Finding solutions to today’s challenges will present even more opportunities, so we must keep learning and exploring.”

He added: “Embedding digitalization into our lives brings endless potential, but also challenges that can be resolved with effective management. The survey highlighted negative and harmful experiences still prevalent across social media, calls for more regulation around AI and for people to have greater transparency over data collection.”

Top Findings under Six Key Global Themes of the survey:

A Healthier Balance: People are finding a better balance in their use of technology and are increasingly aware of its negative impact on their health. In the UAE, the number of people spending too much time online has declined by a fifth in the past two years.

All Eyes on AI: Artificial intelligence is dominating people’s lives, but many do not understand it. In the UAE, the majority of the public feels AI is a force for good.

A New Era of Social Media: Countries with more active social media use view it as a force for societal good, but many are concerned about online bullying. A quarter of respondents have been bullied online, and this is even higher in the UAE (at 29%).

Gamers Take the Reins: Most gamers, and around two-thirds in the UAE, say it has a positive impact on their lives, but for the more avid ones, gaming is an escape mechanism.

Impact of Flexibility at Work: Though digital technology enables hybrid and flexible working; it is affecting personal boundaries. Some remote working is now the reality for many across the world, but in the UAE, most still work in person.

Regulations are Vital: The public is calling for greater regulation of technology, and data collection is their biggest concern. In the UAE, people have confidence in their government’s ability to regulate content on the internet.

Top Findings from the Global Digital Wellbeing Index:

Gulf countries top the digital connectivity ranking, with UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait in the top 5 positions, reflecting perfect scores in 4G coverage and Internet penetration. Dedicated support and awareness for physical health is key to balance growing exposure to digital technologies. Right to disconnect measures show decisive action to promote digital wellbeing policies and have potential to be adopted more widely as they are currently present only in a third of the index countries.

Many countries have embraced digital education and training, but middle-income countries need to emphasize digital skills, such as digital safety tools or the ability to verify misinformation into curricula.

Support for digital mental health holds great promise in aiding vulnerable individuals. The UAE’s ‘Digital Wellbeing Program,’ initiated in 2018, aims to raise awareness about online risks and challenges while promoting safe and positive usage of digital technologies and the Internet. The establishment of a Council for Digital Wellbeing in 2020 further drives progress in this area.

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