New research reveals a dramatic, irreversible shift in how teens spend their time. Experts call it a “wake-up call for parents.”
Something huge is happening in the lives of children, and most parents have felt it, but now the numbers are finally confirming it.
A massive new study tracking 14,000 Australian kids aged 11–14 has uncovered one of the most dramatic behavioural shifts ever recorded, social media use among young teens has exploded by more than 200% since before COVID, and it hasn’t dropped back. Not even a little.
And the rise of social media appears to be wiping out nearly every enriching activity kids once relied on.
The Numbers Are Shocking
Between 2019 and 2022, researchers from the University of South Australia found:
- Kids who NEVER read for fun: jumped from 11% to 53%
- Kids who NEVER did arts activities: increased from 26% to 70%
- Kids who never joined music programs: increased from 70% to 85%
Sports, hanging out with friends, creative play - all dropped sharply. But the biggest shift?
- Daily social media use increased from 26% to 85%
- Kids who don’t use social media at all declined from 31% to just 3%
Even more concerning, these changes did not return to pre-pandemic levels after restrictions lifted. Researchers say this suggests kids’ lifestyles may have been permanently rewired.
“It’s replacing everything,” experts warn
Lead researcher Mason Zhou says the data shows social media has become deeply embedded in young people’s everyday routine, “Social media wasn’t just a pandemic habit. It replaced activities that support healthy development, sport, reading, creative play, and that shift has stuck.”
In other words, kids didn’t just add social media to their day, they replaced real-world activities with it.
Girls scroll more, boys read less
The study also reveals gender-specific trends:
- Girls consistently used social media more frequently
- Boys showed a sharper decline in reading for pleasure
Both trends worry researchers because adolescence is a critical window for cognitive and social development.
Other screen habits bounced back, but social media didn’t
TV watching, chores, and video gaming spiked during lockdowns but eventually settled back to normal. Only social media stayed at pandemic-level highs. This makes social media the only activity that permanently reshaped kids’ after-school lives.
Australia is currently preparing what may become the world’s strongest social media restrictions for children under 16. This study now becomes a crucial baseline, a “before” picture of how deeply social media has infiltrated youth behaviour.
Co-researcher Professor Dot Dumuid stresses that activities like sport, arts, reading and music aren’t just hobbies, they are essential for healthy development.
“Kids who participate in enriching activities have better mental health, stronger identity, improved social skills and better academic outcomes.”
But when social media dominates their after-school time, she warns, “It poses developmental risks.”
Experts say restricting social media may cause kids to shift to:
- gaming
- messaging apps
- streaming
- or alternative platforms
Tracking how these changes affect wellbeing will be critical.
But one thing is already clear, "Children’s lives have shifted dramatically, and not all of it is reversible."
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