The youth of today are growing up in an increasingly digital world, where social media, and other online technologies have become an inseparable part of everyday life.
Understanding how these technologies affect mental health and development has become an urgent priority.
A major Australian study has challenged assumptions that spending more time online necessarily leads to poorer mental health among children and young people.
Instead, researchers found stronger evidence that existing mental health problems predicted greater subsequent technology use, particularly social media use, than the reverse.
The report was led by researchers from La Trobe University, Deakin University, and The University of Sydney.
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“Children [5 to 12 years] use digital technology for entertainment, gaming, educational content, and communicating with known others,” the report said.
“Adolescents and young adults [13 to 25 years] engage with social media, messaging, AI tools, internet forums, and algorithmically recommended content.”
National Mental Health Commission CEO David McGrath said the findings highlighted the complexities surrounding technology use and mental health.
“The relationship between digital technology use and mental health is complex and cannot be explained by a single factor,” he said.
“A one-size-fits-all approach will not work. Greater insight comes from understanding what children and young people are doing online, which platforms they are using, what content they see, and how digital spaces shape their experiences.”
Looking Beyond Screen Time
The findings suggest that discussions and policies need to move beyond looking at screen time, focusing instead on the content young people engage with and the platforms they use.
For instance, social media exposure to hostile interactions, unwanted sexual content, and compulsive engagement was associated with poorer mental health.
Conversely, positive experiences such as social connection and learning were found to support wellbeing.
An analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children found that each additional type of negative online experience was associated with a 1.5- to twofold increase in developing clinically significant mental health symptoms.
The study also found algorithmically recommended content, beauty filters, and online gaming were associated with poorer mental health among children.
“Negative online experiences can build up over time and may increase the risk of mental health problems later on,” McGrath said.
Findings Land Amid Under-16 Restrictions
The findings come less than a year after Australia’s social media minimum-age restrictions took effect on Dec. 10, 2025.
Platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and X were required to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from holding accounts.
The Albanese government introduced the restrictions to protect young people from harmful content and addictive platform features while allowing them more time to develop social and emotional skills.
Communications Minister Anika Wells previously defended the restrictions, arguing they would give children a break from social media’s influence.
“Targeted algorithms, doomscrolling, persistent notifications, and toxic popularity metres are stealing their attention for hours every day,” she said.
“We’re shining a light on these harmful and addictive features being used to target young Australians.”
However, enforcing the restrictions has proven challenging.
The regulator raised concerns about inadequate age-assurance measures, including allowing children to repeatedly attempt age verification until obtaining an over-16 result.
Beyond Access Restrictions
The Commission’s findings suggest restricting access alone may not sufficiently address online harms, noting that access restrictions and content moderation are unlikely to sufficiently tackle harms arising from platform design.
They recommended stronger safety-by-design requirements, greater platform accountability, and regulation of features that encourage compulsive engagement.
The recommendations broadly align with the government’s proposed Digital Duty of Care Bill, released for consultation on Sept. 8. The draft legislation would require online services to assess and mitigate foreseeable harms, including providing an option to opt out of algorithmic feeds.
