None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
In response to growing concerns about the effects of social media on young people’s health and wellbeing, the Australian Government has announced plans to restrict access to social media platforms for children and adolescents aged under 16 years of age, to be enforced through age verification systems. This study aims to assess the potential impact of the national social media age restrictions on adolescent social media use and wellbeing outcomes. This study will collect self-reported data from parent-adolescent dyads (aged 12-17 years) via three surveys conducted before and after (3- and 12-months) the social media age restrictions are implemented. Measures will assess changes to adolescent mental health, sleep quality, physical activity, nutrition, and patterns of social media use prior to, and after, the age restrictions are implemented. The findings will provide timely evidence to inform public health and digital policy and contribute to the limited literature on large-scale social media regulation.
Interventions
In June 2024, the Australian Government announced plans for social media age restrictions for children and adolescents under the age of 16. According to the current proposal, this will apply to the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), Snapchat, Tik Tok, YouTube and Reddit. Children and adolescents under the age of 16 will continue to have access to messaging and online gaming, as well as access to services which are health and education related, such as Headspace,
In June 2024, the Australian Government announced plans for social media age restrictions for children and adolescents under the age of 16. According to the current proposal, this will apply to the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), Snapchat, Tik Tok, YouTube and Reddit. Children and adolescents under the age of 16 will continue to have access to messaging and online gaming, as well as access to services which are health and education related, such as Headspace, Kids Helpline and Google Classroom. This research project will evaluate the potential impact of the Australian social-media age restrictions by assessing adolescent social media use and wellbeing before and after the implementation of the restrictions. Participants will be asked to complete online or telephone surveys (depending on their preference) at three time points: baseline, 3- and 12-months after the implementation of the social media age-restrictions. The primary endpoint for the study outcomes will be 12-month follow-up, to allow for adolescent exposure to the age restrictions to take effect, while the 3-month assessment will be used to evaluate any immediate impacts of the age restrictions on social media usage. Each survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.
Sponsors
University of Newcastle
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
12 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Parent-adolescent dyads, consisting of adolescents aged between 12 to 17 years at the time of the implementation of the age restrictions, located within Australia will be eligible. Dyads must have sufficient English to engage with the data collection.
Exclusion criteria
N/A
Outcome results
None listed