Assessment of Interventions Addressing Social Media Use among Children and Adolescents. A Systematic Review and Ethical Analysis

Research areas: Prevention and screening, Psychological & psychiatric interventions

Duration: Q1 2026 to Q3 2026 (6 PM)
Language: English (with German summary)

 

Background:
The regulation of social media use by children and adolescents has become an increasingly debated issue in public and political discourse. Social media encompasses digital technologies that enable users to communicate, network, and share content through interactive channels, as defined by the Austrian government [1]. According to the Jugend-Internet-Monitor 2026, the most frequently used platforms among Austrian adolescents aged 11–17 years are WhatsApp (82%), YouTube (76%), Snapchat (65%), TikTok (64%), and Instagram (64%) [2]. This assessment will focus on these and related platforms aligned with this definition and documented usage patterns.

The use of social media is associated with both advantages and disadvantages for children and adolescents. The young people use social media to communicate, form social connections, and build peer support networks that are particularly valuable for minorities and vulnerable groups. Furthermore, social media platforms serve as sources of information and learning and offer young people opportunities for civic participation, social activism and self-expression. Under certain conditions (e.g. authentic self-expression), social media use may be correlated with enhanced psychological well-being [3-5].

However, social media also provides a space for cyberbullying, misinformation, radicalisation and sexual harassment. Excessive use can lead to psychological burden and sleep problems, promote addictive behaviours, reduce physical activity, and impair physiological functions (e.g. neuronal functions or eyesight). Additionally, negative effects on child development, academic performance, and overall quality of life may arise [3-5].

To counteract the negative effects of social media use, various measures are being discussed and implemented in a growing number of countries. These include prohibitions and restrictions on age, time, functions, or content at the policy level, as well as educational programmes, particularly in school settings, and societal measures for digital literacy (e.g., parental training, community-based activities) [6-8]. Notably, Australia was the first country to introduce a nationwide, comprehensive ban on social media use for under-16s [9].

Current evidence on measures addressing social media use among children and adolescents is limited, partly because the scale of the problem was long underrecognised, policy interventions are a recent development, and key internal industry data on harms were often not publicly available. Although initial research findings on school-based interventions exist, little to no research has mapped the range of existing measures or assessed their outcomes and related ethical considerations.

Project aims:
In light of this research gap and the growing need for health policy action in Austria, this report aims to systematically synthesise the available evidence from selected countries and to provide comprehensive, evidence-based decision support for Austrian health policy. The central focus is on identifying which measures for regulating social media use and educational measures are suited to protecting the health of children and adolescents and mitigating harmful effects. The findings are intended to inform both scientific and public debate and to systematically map the current evidence base.

The provision of a detailed implementation plan or the assessment of the general impact of social media use itself, or smartphone use more broadly, is outside the scope of this report.

Research questions (RQ):
RQ 1) What restrictions and educational measures in selected countries address the use of social media use by children and adolescents, and what are their characteristics?
RQ 2) What benefits and harms of interventions addressing social media use of children and adolescents are described in the literature of selected countries?
RQ 3) What are the ethical considerations for children and adolescents of social media bans?

Methods:

RQ 1) Hand search (Scoping/Mapping)
Targeted hand search for strategies and interventions addressing social media use among children and adolescents (e.g. in Google Scholar, TRIP Database, Overton, WHO, OECD, websites of ministries of health, education and public health institutions), data extraction with an iterative adaptation of preliminary categories according to the four-eyes principle, tabular presentation, and narrative synthesis.

Inclusion criteria for relevant social media strategies and interventions (RQ 1):

Population	Children and adolescents
Concept	Interventions addressing social media use among children and adolescents Full restriction/ban (e.g. age limits/age verification) Partial restriction (e.g. time; function such as endless scrolling, content restriction; setting restriction, including school) Educational programmes (e.g. digital literacy, parental training) Self-regulation (no external action)
Context	Characteristics such as, but not limited to Age limits (e.g. age under 13, 14 or 16 years) Responsibilities (e.g. platforms, legal guardians, teachers) Vulnerable groups Evaluations Realisation (including setting, frequency, duration, technical realisation)
Countries	Countries where restrictions on social media have been implemented, passed or are under consideration as of March 11th 2026 [10]
Languages	English, German

 

RQ 2) Systematic Review with a narrative synthesis
Systematic search for reviews on the benefits and harms of interventions addressing social media use among children and adolescents in several databases (e.g., Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, PsycInfo). Selection based on predefined eligibility criteria. Quality appraisal of identified literature supported by appropriate instruments (depending on the study design). Extraction of data in pre-structured tables and synthesised narratively. Literature selection, quality assessment, data extraction (with an iterative adaptation of preliminary outcome categories), and synthesis will be conducted under the four-eyes principle. The outcomes will be prioritised in consultation with children and adolescents and the commissioning team.

Inclusion criteria for benefits and harms of interventions addressing social media use (RQ 2):

Population	Children and adolescents
Intervention	Interventions addressing social media use among children and adolescents
Comparison	Different intervention approaches addressing social media use among children and adolescents compared with one another (intervention vs intervention) No intervention
Outcomes	Primary Outcomes Mental health (e.g., symptoms of depression, anxiety, mood disorders, stress, body image/eating disorder, self-harm) Well-being and quality of life Problematic social media use (e.g., addiction-like behaviour, time spent on social media) Secondary Outcomes Social and behavioural outcomes (e.g., isolation, prosocial/antisocial behaviour) Sleep quality (e.g., bedtime delay, duration, disturbances) (Academic) Performance (e.g., school grades, communication, attention and other developmental disorders) Media literacy Harm incidence (e.g., sexual harassment, cybergrooming, bullying/cyberbullying) Rationale: based on existing literature
Publication type	Reviews (preferred); primary studies (alternatively); ongoing studies (if no evaluative evidence available) Rationale: Iterative, applied separately by intervention type (full bans, partial restrictions, educational programmes, self-regulation): priority to recent, high-quality reviews (systematic reviews, umbrella reviews, rapid reviews, HTA-reports). If such reviews are unavailable, inclusion will be expanded to primary studies; where no evaluative evidence exists (e.g. for full bans), ongoing studies/evaluations will be mapped
Publication date	Studies from 2020 Rationale: Broadly, the period during which measures to regulate the use of social media by children and young people were developed
Countries	Countries where restrictions on social media have been implemented, passed or are under consideration as of March 11th [10]
Languages	English, German

RQ 3) Ethical Analysis
Analysis of ethical aspects of social media bans based on targeted hand search. The focus of this research question is explicitly on ethical issues related to bans (not on partial restrictions, educational programmes, or self-regulation). The appropriate methodological approach (e.g. axiological/Socratic) will be selected and adapted based on the results of RQ 1 and RQ 2.

Rationale: Prohibitions of social media are the interventions with the most severe restrictions on freedoms and rights (including personal data).

Inclusion criteria for relevant ethical aspects of social media bans (RQ 3):

Population	Children and adolescents
Intervention	Social media bans for children and adolescents
Comparison	-
Outcomes	Ethical considerations (e.g. autonomy, privacy)
Publication type	E.g. qualitative and quantitative studies, reviews, guidelines, discussion papers, viewpoint papers, and grey literature
Countries	Countries where restrictions on social media have been implemented, passed or are under consideration as of March 11th [10].
Languages	English, German

Timetable:

Period	Tasks
January – March 2026	Scoping and finalising the project protocol OSF registration
March 2026	Systematic literature search and manual searches (RQ 1 + RQ 2) Selection of literature (RQ 1 + RQ 2)
April 2026	Data extraction and quality assessment (RQ 1 + RQ 2)
May 2026	Literature search (RQ 3) Data extraction (RQ 3) Ethical synthesis (RQ 3)
June 2026	Writing the report
July 2026	Internal and external review
July 2026	Layout and publication

References:

[1]          oesterreich.gv.at. Social Media. 2026 [cited 03.03.2026]. Available from: https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/de/lexicon/S/Seite.991502.
[2]          Saferinternet.at. Jugend-Internet-Monitor. 2026 [cited 03.03.2026]. Available from: https://www.saferinternet.at/services/jugend-internet-monitor#:~:text=WhatsApp%20%7C%2082%20%25%20(%2D5%20%25),Instagram%20%7C%2064%20%25%20(%2D9%20%25).
[3]          Brailovskaia J., Buchmann J., Hertwig R., Metzinger T., Montag C., Sadeghi A.-R., et al. Soziale Medien und die psychische Gesundheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen. Report. Halle (Saale): Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina, 2025 Report No. 40.
[4]          Manolios S., Sala A., Sundorph E., Chaudron S., Gomez E., Beullens K., et al. Minors’ health and social media: an interdisciplinary scientific perspective. European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency roundtables. Report. Luxembourg: European Comission, 2025.
[5]          Hinduja S. and Lalani F. Empowering and Protecting European Youth Online: Streamlining Legislation and Promoting Positive Digital Experiences. Report. 2025.
[6]          Tadpatrikar A., Sharma M. K. and Murthy P. Policies and public health initiatives to mitigate the mental health impact of internet use among children and adolescents. Indian J Psychiatry. 2025;67(12):1180–1186. Epub 20251218. DOI: 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry_409_25.
[7]          Welsey?Smith O. and Fleming T. Debate: Social media in children and young people – time for a ban? From polarised debate to precautionary action – a population mental health perspective on social media and youth well?being. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. 2025;30(4):416–418. DOI: 10.1111/camh.70033.
[8]          Chhabra J., Pilkington V., Benakovic R., Wilson M. J., La Sala L. and Seidler Z. Social Media and Youth Mental Health: Scoping Review of Platform and Policy Recommendations. J Med Internet Res. 2025;27:e72061. Epub 20250620. DOI: 10.2196/72061.
[9]          Blake J. A., Sourander A., Kato A. and Scott J. G. Will restricting the age of access to social media reduce mental illness in Australian youth? Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2025;59(3):202–208. Epub 20241230. DOI: 10.1177/00048674241308692.
[10]       Jahangir R. and Hendrix J. Tracking Efforts To Restrict Or Ban Teens from Social Media Across the Globe. 2026 [cited 03.03.2026]. Available from: https://www.techpolicy.press/tracking-efforts-to-restrict-or-ban-teens-from-social-media-across-the-globe/.