A Month Without Social Media: Insights from Australian Teens

For the first time in years, Amy feels free.

One month since Australia's teen social media ban kicked in, she says she is 'disconnected from my phone' and her daily routine has changed.

The 14-year-old first felt the pangs of online addiction in the days after the ban started.

'I knew that I was still unable to access Snapchat - however, from instinct, I still reached to open the app in the morning,' she wrote on day two of the ban in a diary she kept for the first week afterwards.

By day four of the ban – when ten platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok went dark for thousands of Australian children aged 16 and under – she had started to question the magnetic pull of Snapchat.

'While it's sad that I can't snap my friends, I can still text them on other platforms and I honestly feel kind of free knowing that I don't have to worry about doing my streaks anymore,' Amy wrote.

Streaks - a Snapchat feature considered by some as highly addictive - require two people to send a 'snap' – a photo or video – to each other every day in order to maintain their 'streak' which can last for days, months, even years.

By day six, the allure of Snapchat - which she first downloaded when she was 12 and checks several times a day - was fading fast for Amy.

'I often used to call my friends on Snapchat after school, but because I am no longer able to, I went for a run,' she wrote.

Fast forward a month, and her habits are markedly different.

'Previously, it was part of my routine to open Snapchat,' the Sydney teen tells the BBC.

'Opening Snapchat would often lead to Instagram and then TikTok, which sometimes resulted in me losing track of time after being swept up by the algorithm ... I now reach for my phone less and mainly use it when I genuinely need to do something.'

Amy's experience is likely to put a smile on the face of Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who in the lead-up to the ban pleaded with kids to kick their social media habits.

The government has cited online bullying and protecting young people from online predators and harmful content as some of the reasons for the ban.

Since 10 December, tech companies risk being fined up to A$49.5m (US$32m, £25m) if they don't take 'reasonable steps' to boot under-16s off their platforms.

But Albanese's hopes that the ban would usher in a new generation of sports-loving, book-reading, instrument-playing kids may have fallen flat for many.

Aahil, 13, hasn't read more books, played more sports, or started learning an instrument. Instead, he spends about two and a half hours on various social media platforms every day – the same as before the ban started.

He still has his YouTube and Snapchat accounts – both use fake birthdays - and spends most of his time on gaming platform Roblox and Discord, a messaging platform popular with gamers – neither of which are banned.

'It hasn't really changed anything,' Aahil says, as most of his friends still have active social media accounts.

But his mum Mau has noticed a change. 'He's moodier,' she says, adding he spends more time playing video games than before.

'When he was on social media, he was more social ... more talkative with us,' Mau says, though, she adds, his moodiness may also simply be the 'teenage years.'

Consumer psychologist Christina Anthony says moods might be due to the ban's short-term effects on emotion regulation.

'For many teenagers, social media isn't just entertainment - it's a tool for managing boredom, stress, and social anxiety, and for seeking reassurance or connection,' she says.

'When access is disrupted, some young people may initially experience irritability, restlessness, or a sense of social disconnection… not because the platform itself is essential, but because a familiar coping mechanism has been removed.'

In another Sydney household, the ban has had little impact.

15-year-old Lulu says, 'My usage of social media is the same as prior to the ban because I made new accounts for both TikTok and Instagram with ages above 16 years old.' The new law has influenced her in other ways.

'I am reading a bit more because I don't want to be on social media as much.' But she's not spending more times outdoors, nor is she arranging to meet friends face-to-face. Instead, Lulu, along with Amy and Aahil, all started using WhatsApp and Facebook's Messenger more – neither are banned - because they couldn't contact friends who had lost access to their social media accounts.

In the days before the ban started, three little-known apps - Lemon8, Yope, and Coverstar - surged in downloads, showcasing how teens sought alternative social platforms.

While Amy initially downloaded Lemon8 due to social pressure and FOMO, she has since lost interest and is no longer seeking out new apps.

As reactions to the ban continue to unfold, the long-term implications remain to be seen. Parents express relief yet concern about how their teens are connecting. The eSafety Commissioner promises to release findings soon, but for now, the trend towards less social media use may mark the beginning of a new approach to digital interaction among youth.