Social media use soars as children drop sport, studying and the humanities – Information and occasions

19 November 2025

In putting new statistics, consultants warn of social media’s rising grip on younger folks, with use amongst kids and youths hovering by greater than 200% since earlier than COVID and exhibiting no signal of decline.

In one of many world’s largest studies of after-school activities, University of South Australia researchers tracked greater than 14,000 South Australian college students aged 11–14 from 2019 to 2022, uncovering a dramatic shift in how younger folks spend their time.

Over the four-year interval, every day social media use jumped from 26% to 85%, whereas participation in virtually each different ‘enriching’ exercise – together with sport, studying, music, and artwork – sharply declined:

• Reading for enjoyable: the proportion of youngsters who by no means learn for enjoyable elevated from 11% to 53%
• Arts participation: those that by no means took half in arts actions rose from 26% to 70%
• Music: college students who by no means joined extracurricular music elevated from 70% to 85%
• Social media use: every day customers jumped greater than 200%, from 26% to 85%, whereas non-users plummeted from 31% to only 3%.

These modifications haven’t returned to pre-pandemic ranges, even three years after restrictions have been lifted, suggesting an enduring shift in how kids spend their time.

Boys skilled a steeper drop in studying, whereas ladies persistently used social media extra typically.

Conversely, time spent watching TV, doing chores, and taking part in digital video games elevated through the pandemic however returned to pre-pandemic ranges by 2022.

UniSA researcher and PhD candidate Mason Zhou says the analysis highlights the pervasive impact of social media amongst kids and youths.

“There’s no doubt that social media has become deeply embedded in children’s daily lives. But now it’s at the point where it’s replacing many of the activities that support healthy development – like sport, reading, and creative play,” Zhou says.

“In this research, we discovered that kids’s participation in music, artwork, studying for enjoyable, hanging out with associates and taking part in sports activities all declined throughout and after the pandemic.

“Not surprisingly, watching TV and taking part in digital video games elevated considerably throughout the identical interval, however each returned to pre-pandemic ranges afterwards.

“Social media was the one exercise that persistently elevated through the pandemic and within the post-pandemic years, exhibiting the biggest progress total.

“Because these changes happened during a critical stage of adolescence, and because they’ve persisted three years after COVID restrictions ended, they may have lasting impacts on young people’s health and wellbeing – and that’s a real cause for concern.”

As Australia prepares to implement a nation-leading restriction on social media entry for youngsters underneath 16, this analysis offers an important baseline for evaluating how such interventions have an effect on younger folks’s after-school exercise patterns.

Co-researcher Professor Dot Dumuid says we want extra packages and insurance policies that encourage younger folks to re-engage in enriching actions comparable to sport, music, arts and studying.

“If we want to support young people’s wellbeing, we need to help them rebalance their time – encouraging them to reconnect with real-world activities that build skills, confidence and social connection,” Prof Dumuid says.

“Children who take part in sports activities, arts and different extra-curricular actions typically have higher educational outcomes, stronger self-identity, improved social abilities and higher psychological well being. These actions assist children type friendships, stretch their boundaries and purchase new abilities – all which assist psychological and social growth.

“But if social media is dominating their time, it poses developmental dangers.

“The pending social media bans are definitely an intervention geared toward defending kids.

“When access is restricted, children may shift to alternative platforms like gaming, messaging apps or TV. Tracking these behavioural shifts and examining their short- and long-term impacts on young people’s health and wellbeing will be important as we move beyond the ban.”

The full paper, authored by UniSA’s Mi (Mason) Zhou, Professor Carol Maher, Professor Sally Brinkman, Juliette Cools and Professor Dorothea (Dot) Dumuid is obtainable right here:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Contact for interview: Mason Zhou E: [email protected]
Media contact: Annabel Mansfield M: +61 479 182 489 E: [email protected]