New research from Australia tracking more than 100,000 children over three years has revealed that moderate social media use is linked to better wellbeing outcomes than either minimal or heavy use — challenging simplistic assumptions that screen time is inherently harmful.

The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, followed students from Year 4 to Year 12 across the country. Rather than finding a straight linear relationship between more social media and worse outcomes, researchers discovered a “Goldilocks window” where social media use appeared to be associated with the best overall scores on wellbeing measures.

Moderate Use vs High or No Use

In the research categorisation:

• Moderate use- defined as more than zero but less than about 12.5 hours per week of after-school social media- was consistently linked to higher wellbeing scores.
• Children with heavy use (12.5 hours or more weekly) and those who did not use social media at all tended to show lower wellbeing outcomes.

Wellbeing was measured across eight indicators, including happiness, optimism, worry, emotional regulation and cognitive engagement, providing a broad picture beyond just mental health symptoms.

Differences by Age and Gender

The study also highlighted that the impact of social media varied by age and gender:

• Younger girls (Years 4–6) showed the highest wellbeing when they didn’t use social media at all.
• For older girls (Years 7–12), moderate use was linked to better wellbeing than non-use or heavy use, suggesting that social media can play a positive social role for adolescents.
• Among boys, moderate use and non-use had similar wellbeing outcomes in early adolescence, but from mid-adolescence onward, boys who didn’t use social media at all were more likely to report poorer outcomes. This reflects social media’s role in maintaining peer connections during teenage years.

Why Moderate Use Might Matter

Researchers suggest that moderate engagement with social platforms may support social belonging and connection, especially during key phases of social and emotional development, without overwhelming users with the negative effects associated with heavy use.

This fits with broader Australian research showing social media is deeply embedded in young people’s lives- with one survey finding that 96% of children aged 10–15 had used at least one platform, and the majority reporting exposure to various online harms.

These harms range from cyberbullying to exposure to harmful content, highlighting that usage patterns matter just as much as overall exposure.

Other Australian data reinforce the complexity of the picture: a separate longitudinal study found that daily social media use among children jumped from 26% to 85% between 2019 and 2022, coinciding with sharp declines in participation in reading, arts and music activities.

Implications for Parents and Policy

The findings challenge blanket restrictions or age limits based solely on time spent online and suggest that context and quality of use matter. As social psychologist and lead authors note, parental involvement, digital literacy, and open conversation about online behaviour are crucial supports for healthy social media use.

Rather than vilifying social media, the research points to the importance of balanced engagement, recognising that for many young people, moderate use can be part of positive development- while heavy use or complete avoidance both carry risks.

The post Australian Study Finds Moderate Social Media Use Boosts Kids’ Wellbeing appeared first on Small Business Connections.

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