New research from the Australian National University has found that social media platforms impact teenagers’ life satisfaction with varying effects, depending on gender and platform use.
The large-scale survey of twenty thousand Australian Year 10 students found that TikTok was associated with lower satisfaction among female students, while Discord negatively affected males and non-binary students.
Non-binary users of the instant messaging app Discord reported the lowest life satisfaction overall.
However, the use of X, formerly Twitter, was linked to higher satisfaction among non-binary students.
Lead researcher, Professor Ben Edwards from ANU, emphasised the need for a nuanced approach to regulating social media due to its mixed effects.
The study also found Instagram to be the most popular platform, but it did not significantly impact life satisfaction.
The longitudinal study is following the teenagers over a decade to understand broader trends, including the impacts of social media on their educational and career aspirations.