The implementation of a new regulation on December 10 requires social media platforms with age restrictions to establish effective measures to prevent Australian users under the age of 16 from creating new accounts or accessing existing ones.

Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X (formerly known as Twitter), and YouTube fall under the category of age-restricted social media.

However, recent research from Adelaide University has revealed that the impact of social media on the mental health of children is more intricate than previously assumed.

In their study, researchers examined the relationship between the wellbeing and after-school social media activities of over 100,000 Australian students from grades 4 through 12 over a span of three years.

Participants in the study were classified into groups based on their social media usage: non-users, moderate users, or high users.

For girls, non-users displayed the highest levels of well-being among grades 4 to 6, but by middle school, moderate users had the best well-being.

High usage was consistently linked to poor mental health among girls in general.

Among boys, the researchers found moderate users and non-users had similar wellbeing outcomes up to grade 6, but from grade 7 onwards, non-used was increasingly linked to poor mental health.

For grades 10 to 12, non-use was a bigger factor in poor mental health for boys than high usage.

Researchers said the findings showed both heavy use and social media abstinence may have risks for young people, who are at risk of social isolation.

Nonetheless, the federal government has hailed the ban as a world first and it has been noted by countries around the world, with global leaders suggesting they may enact their own version depending on how Australia’s goes.