A new Australian study is adding more weight to the argument against social media. And it’s even revealing how just how much social media is too much for teenagers. Research led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute found that adolescents who spent at least two hours a day on social media were more likely to experience depressive symptoms and poorer wellbeing one year later than those who used social platforms for less than one hour a day.

The study does not prove that social media directly caused those mental health problems. But the link is notable because the research followed young people over time instead of just relying on data from a short-term study.

Early adolescence looks like the danger zone

The study followed almost 1,200 children in Melbourne from age nine to 19 as part of the Child to Adult Transition Study. Researchers collected annual data on social media use and mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and self-harm. The strongest association was noted in girls aged 12 to 13, which researchers describe as a critical window for intervention. Dr Nandi Vijayakumar of MCRI and Deakin University said early adolescence stood out as a period when heavier social media use was linked to a greater risk of mental health problems one year later.

Ages 12 and 13 are often when phones, social apps, peer pressure, and other factors start crashing into each other at once. So even a modest rise in risk can matter when millions of young people are exposed to the same platforms every day.

Why simply deleting every app doesn’t help

In the study, researchers were also careful not to flatten the issue entirely. Social media can help some teenagers with belonging, finding self-expression, and building support systems through friendships, which is also crucial for young people who may not easily find those communities offline. At the same time, high usage can also mean more exposure to cyberbullying, harmful content, and social comparisons that can lead to sleep disruption and pressure to stay available.

Professor Susan Sawyer from MCRI said the results do not show social media is universally harmful, but they do support age-appropriate limits, better digital literacy, and clearer parental guidance. Professor Susan Sawyer from MCRI stated that the results do not show that social media is universally harmful. But the group does support age-appropriate limits, along with better digital literacy and clearer parental guidance.

The findings also arrive as governments continue to debate age restrictions and platform rules for young users. Australia has already introduced world-first social media age restrictions, and MCRI and Deakin University are separately studying how those changes affect teens’ phone use and mental health.

Instagram has a well-documented problem with how it treats teenage users, and Meta is finally taking a more concrete step to address it. The company announced it is testing a new feature on Instagram designed to stop teens from being repeatedly served the same type of content in Explore, Feed, and Reels.

The announcement is part of a broader global rollout of tightened teen account protections across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger.

The evidence against Instagram’s algorithm has been building for years

Researchers set up fake teen profiles on Instagram and found that liking just one fitness-related post was enough to completely change what the algorithm recommended next. The Explore tab quickly filled up with weight-loss tips, extreme dieting content, and images of heavily edited body types. The pattern repeated across profiles mimicking teenagers of different ages and genders.

According to Harvard researchers, Instagram’s algorithm actively draws vulnerable teens into a damaging cycle of negative social comparison, worsening body image, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

Most damningly, Facebook’s own internal research found that 32% of teen girls said Instagram made them feel worse about their bodies when they were already struggling. The platform knew this and kept going.

What Meta is doing to protect teens from harmful content

Meta acknowledges that content around nutrition, fitness, or coping with anxiety can be useful, but argues it should be balanced rather than served on repeat. The new feature being tested is specifically aimed at breaking that loop.

Separately, the 13+ content setting, first launched last October, is now expanding globally across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. Nine out of ten teens have stayed within that setting since launch.

An independent assessment by online safety firm Alice found that teens in the default 13+ setting saw 68% less mature content than on a leading competitor’s teen experience. Those in the stricter Limited Content setting saw 96% less.

Meta also crowdsourced feedback from hundreds of thousands of parents who rated over 15 million pieces of content. In a survey at the end of April, fewer than 2% of posts were flagged as inappropriate by most parents. The stricter Limited Content setting is also coming to Facebook and Messenger later this year.