SYDNEY, Sept 1: Delaying the age at which children first use social media may help protect adolescent mental health, new research from Australia's University of New South Wales (UNSW) suggests.
The study found that those who began using social media at a younger age reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression. Simply having a social media account showed a weaker relationship with those symptoms, according to a UNSW statement released Monday.
Mental Health and Human Rights
The study, conducted among Australian adolescents aged 10 to 15 and one of their parents in the six weeks before Australia's social media ban for under-16s took effect in December 2025, found 70 percent of participants had used social media, while about half already had a social media account. The average age at which they first started using social media was 11.
"What surprised us was that the age children first started using social media appeared to matter more for their mental health than simply whether they had an account," said UNSW Associate Professor Susanne Schweizer, the study's chief investigator.
The study showed that only a quarter of 10-to-15-year-olds said they planned to stop using social media after the ban, while 34 percent intended to use it without an account and 35 percent intended to find a way around the restrictions to continue using their accounts, rather than simply waiting until they turn 16.
The findings suggest that delaying children's first exposure may be a promising policy, particularly if combined with education on healthy digital habits.
