Social media has been heralded as a harbinger of global connectivity, so why do I find it a place of isolation and self-flagellation? Last November, the Australian parliament passed a ban on social media for under-16s – due to come into force in late 2025 – and all I can say is, I wish it had happened earlier.

After spending hours scrolling on social media, my mind isn’t my mind anymore. That period of time has been spent in purposeful abstention from active thought. Rather than producing new ideas, or mulling over any sensory or intellectual input, I simply consume: ten-second reel after ten-second reel, hundreds of times, not remembering one of them. 

Social media use also has a negative impact on body image, with younger users being particularly vulnerable. Over a third of Australians say that social media has a negative impact on their self-image, according to research by the eating disorder charity Butterfly Foundation. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that 4-16% of the population suffer from eating disorders. 

On platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, users are inundated with a flood of content that (implicitly or explicitly) promotes fad dieting, excessive exercising, and body comparisons. Hashtags such as “thinspo” and “fitspo” push objectified images of conventionally attractive bodies; this is potentially damaging in the best of circumstances and especially dangerous to teens, pre-teens and children.

Boys and men, meanwhile, tend to see content that encourages hours of daily exercise at the gym, to build huge amounts of musculature. 

Inevitably, young people fail to match the airbrushed images on their screens – though, inevitably, many try. I have friends who refuse to take photos of themselves unless with a SnapChat filter, and others who won’t be caught on film at all.

Another more obvious threat to wellbeing presented by social media is that of grooming and cyberstalking. According to the Australian e-Safety Commissioner, 55% of young people have established contact with individuals who they have encountered online. 

Snapchat, currently used by over eight million Australians, includes a feature called ‘Snap Map’, which displays your exact location at last use of the app. Between friends or romantic partners, this creates a sense of worrying entitlement to be aware of a person’s exact location at all times. For larger groups, this creates a pressure to interact with others – perhaps they don’t want to be judged for being alone in their rooms while other Snapchat users are clustered together at what must be a party. 

I have friends who use Snapchat who take great pride in the diversity of their Snap Maps, boasting individuals from every continent. These friends are not international globetrotters, but they have formed continuous daily messaging ‘snap-streaks’ with dozens of people from around the world, whose faces they may never have seen.

A final aspect of social media to acknowledge is the rampant presence of bigotry – ranging from dog whistles, to slurs, to bona-fide calls for violence – running amok across platforms. The American Psychological Association says that 48-60% of adolescents in racial or ethnic minorities have seen ‘jokes’ targeted at their group. Comments are often filled with bigotry, extending towards women, LGBTQIA+ individuals and disabled people. 

For LGBTQ+ individuals in environments where same-sex relationships and/or gender nonconformity are not accepted, being able to learn about themselves and experience digital solidarity, thanks to the globalisation and anonymity that social media offers, is paramount. 

It is also important to appreciate that social media serves to democratise free speech, allowing people who might otherwise be disenfranchised – including young people like me – to say what they feel must be heard. 

The reality is that I am two years too old for this bill to impact me in any real way. I can only imagine what would have been best for my (slightly) younger self, and listen to my friends contradict each other. 

Without social media, I would be both more and less self-conscious, both more and less happy, both more and less lonely. Looking back, though – looking at the present too – when I weigh the benefits of social media against the many costs, the scale doesn’t come close to a balance. 

Community, connection, communication and joy exist in the physical world. And also on online sites other than social media, if we seek them out and especially if, in the restriction or absence of social media, they are motivated to grow. 

Social media serves as a chamber for radicalisation, a cesspit for bullying and bigotry, a sink for time, and a sanctuary for self-hatred. On social media, the ills of broader society are amplified, and allowed to run rampant. Children should be protected from all of this for as long as possible. My friends should have been. I should have been.