Exploring the Impact of Technology on Teen Mental Health

10 charts that capture how the world is changing 🧵

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

1) Teen Girl's Mental Health

This chart shows a sharp decline starting in 2012. This timing maps almost 1-to-1 with smartphone and social media adoption.

There are other factors at play, sure, but there's also a worrying correlation here. pic.twitter.com/9vOzy0oIwV

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

2) Decline in Friendship

In the last 30 years, the percentage of people with <=1 close friend has nearly tripled to 20% of the population.

Teenagers spend nine hours a day with screens. Technology should *augment* human connection without outright replacing it. pic.twitter.com/nEEGeAk5r9

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

3) The Tech Bubble Has Burst

2020-2021 was the anomaly; valuations have returned to Earth. As @eladgil points out, a company that raised at 100x ARR will take 6-7 years, growing 85% annually, to grow into that price.

Down rounds & company shut-downs are both inevitable. pic.twitter.com/s2zWOiJTQA

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

4) Climate Tech Defies the Downturn

As venture funding dried up in 2022, dollars deployed into climate tech went the opposite directions. Up 89% year-over-year to $70B.

PWC estimated that $1 of every $4 venture dollars in 2022 went into the sector. pic.twitter.com/zq03QCfbgV

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

5) ChatGPT Adoption

ChatGPT is one of the fastest-growing products in history. Now that its available via API, millions of more users are interacting with it—Snap, Shopify, and Instacart are all integrating ChatGPT.

Generative AI is officially mainstream. pic.twitter.com/jewlUI5XFV

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

6) The Market for Obesity Drugs

Everyone is going crazy for Ozempic / Wegovy. The Economist estimates that by 2031, the market for GLP-1 drugs will be over $150B.

For perspective, that’s on par with the market size of all the drugs used to treat cancer ($185B in 2021). pic.twitter.com/yOZMS4KTQW

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

7) Temu’s Explosion

Just four months after launching, Temu had more unique visitors than SHEIN & Wish.

During the holiday shopping season, Temu (backed by Chinese internet giant Pinduoduo) ranked 12th in traffic among US retailers, wedged between CVS (#11) and Walgreens (#12). pic.twitter.com/h9KYsiWNRM

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

8) Price Changes in Goods & Services

Since 2000, a TV has gone down in price by 98%. Yet college costs 170% more & childcare is 2x as expensive.

Technology is reinventing some sectors, but others (education, healthcare, housing) have barely been touched. That needs to change. pic.twitter.com/fd41xSKOnO

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

9) National Office Occupancy

Three years post-lockdown, office occupancy hasn't recovered: right now, occupancy sits at 50%.

This feels like the new normal. The question is, what are the ripple effects for real estate, cities, and workers? pic.twitter.com/xyFT0JMmAc

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

10) Technological Progress

It took humans millions of years to figure out tools & fire. In the last century, we’ve gotten penicillin (1928), the computer (1943), space travel (1957), the internet (1983), CRISPR (2012)

If this doesn't make you optimistic, I don't know what will. pic.twitter.com/lBrdZr016r

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023

I've always been a visual learner, and I find charts to be an engaging way to capture broader trends. Curious what other charts tell a story about how the world is changing.

More detail & analysis on all these charts here: https://t.co/g65W7LJhtN

— Rex Woodbury (@rex_woodbury) March 17, 2023