Research results show that no significant impact was found when observing the 'impact of social media on children' every year

A law banning the use of social media by anyone under the age of 16 went into effect in Australia in December 2025. Similar bills are also being considered in several other countries, including the UK and France . These bills are being considered based on the view that 'social media has a negative impact on children.' However, a research team from the University of Manchester published the results of a study in the Journal of Public Health on December 5, 2025, which found that 'an annual survey of the impact of social media found no significant impact.'

How do social media use, gaming frequency, and internalizing symptoms predict each other over time in early-to-middle adolescence? | Journal of Public Health | Oxford Academic
https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pubmed/fdaf150/8371934

Evidence for link between digital technology use and teenage mental health problems is weak, our large study suggests
https://theconversation.com/evidence-for-link-between-digital-technology-use-and-teenage-mental-health-problems-is-weak-our-large-study-suggests-273386

Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the impact of social media on children's mental health. However, the research team pointed out that 'most studies focus on a snapshot at a specific point in time and are unable to examine the long-term effects on children.' To address this issue, the research team launched a large-scale research project called ' #BeeWell ,' involving schools and local governments, and investigated the impact of social media on more than 25,000 children over a three-year period.

The study surveyed the same children over three years: in 8th grade (12-13 years old), 9th grade (13-14 years old), and 10th grade (14-15 years old). Furthermore, in addition to comparing different samples, such as 'light vs. heavy SNS users,' the study also analyzed in detail the impact of changes in the amount of time the same children spent on social media and games over time within the same sample.

The results of the survey showed no significant correlation between 'SNS or game use' and 'internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression.' It was also confirmed that 'increased time spent using SNS' or 'increased time playing games' was not associated with worsening mental health in both men and women.

The study also examined the commonly held belief that 'it's not the length of time spent using social media that's important, but whether you use it passively or actively. Active use, such as posting photos, is less likely to have a negative impact than passive use, such as endlessly scrolling through your timeline.' The results revealed that categorizing social media use into passive and active use is not a significant factor in determining mental health.

The research team stated, 'Our findings suggest that banning social media use by those under 16 and limiting the time spent playing games and apps is unlikely to have an impact on teenagers' mental health in the long term. A complete ban on social media and games may offer an easy solution to a complex problem and mask true risk factors,' urging policymakers to carefully consider the bill. However, they added, 'This study was unable to examine short-term effects, such as those 'immediately after' use of social media and games. Furthermore, issues such as cyberbullying and exposure to harmful content remain serious concerns.'

The research team also identified two interesting findings from their analysis:

Girls who spend more time playing games in one year tend to spend less time on social media the following year. This may indicate that for girls, games and social media are competing for their limited free time.
Boys who had high levels of symptoms such as depression in one year played video games less frequently the following year. This suggests that a decline in mental health may be related to a loss of interest in hobbies for boys.