Young adults are drowning in festive pressure, and social media is pushing them into debt
For many young adults, Christmas has become less about celebration and more about performance.
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Social media feeds overflow with perfectly wrapped gifts, elaborate decorations and picture-perfect festive scenes, creating relentless pressure that may lead to spending beyond their means.
The result: financial debt, mental health decline, and post-holiday anxiety.
The social media trap!
Curated holiday posts create the illusion that everyone else is celebrating bigger and better. Young workers aged 20–29 are particularly vulnerable.
According to the recent TELUS Mental Health Index (MHI), this age group already has the lowest mental health scores of any age group.
For a generation financially stretched and emotionally strained, social media may reinforce a dangerous message: your worth is being measured by what you have and how much you spend.
The real cost!
The MHI reveals that younger generations are 80 per cent more likely than older workers to cut back on essentials to manage spending.
Yet social pressure still drives them to overspend during the holidays, often relying on high-interest credit cards or short-term loans.
By January, the debt hangover hits hard. One-third of workers report personal finances or economic conditions as their main source of stress, and two-thirds lack confidence in their financial future.
Young people bear the brunt, with holiday overspending triggering months of repayments and mounting stress.
Tips for a budget-friendly festive season:
Set realistic gift budgets and communicate them openly with family and friends
Prioritize experiences and shared moments over material gifts
Suggest gift alternatives: homemade items, time, or charitable donations
Use social media intentionally to celebrate connection and creativity, not consumption
The holidays should be about connection, not competition. By rejecting the social media pressure to match the images they see, young adults can reclaim the holidays as a time for genuine connection rather than financial strain and emotional isolation.
The best gift they can give themselves is permission to celebrate authentically, within their means and focused on what truly matters.
When we shift from comparison to connection, from debt to intentionality, we protect our mental health and rediscover what makes the season meaningful in the first place.
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Paula Allen, Global Leader & VP, Research & Insights, TELUS Health
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