Online engagement comes at a cost
Opinion
With the ban on social media for children under 16 coming into force next month, Catholic Voice journalist VERONIKA COX looks at the wider impact of our online habits.
Australians are online more than ever, and psychologist Angela McCabe says our relationship with social media is edging into addiction.
According to the 2025 Global Digital Report and Digital 2025 Australia compiled by Meltwater and We Are Social, the nation now sits at 26.8 million people, with 97.1 per cent online and 77.9 per cent active on social media.
On average, Australians spend six hours and five minutes on the internet daily, with almost two hours (1h 51m) devoted to social media.
That’s nearly half of the five hours and 13 minutes of free time Australians typically have in a day, based on ABS data.
Ms McCabe said it’s easy to see why.
“We’re wired to connect,” she explained. “Social media gives us a false illusion of relevance and connection, but it also distracts us from healthier ways of connecting, like conversation, hobbies, or simply going for a walk.”
Ms McCabe said the signs of phone dependency mirror traditional substance addictions: cravings, withdrawal, and escalating use.
“When you take it away, people feel agitated and anxious,” she said.
“They’ll seek out the phone, often unconsciously. It becomes a compulsion.”
The data supports her concern.
Australians check their phones on average more than 100 times per day and maintain more than six active social platforms. Facebook leads with 77.7 per cent of users, followed by Messenger (68.9 per cent), Instagram (65.2 per cent) and WhatsApp (48.3 per cent). TikTok (44.1 per cent), iMessage (42.4 per cent) and Snapchat (33.1 per cent) continue to attract large audiences.
Gender use closely mirrors the national population – 50.7 per cent female and 49.3 per cent male – while 80.2 per cent of users juggle multiple online identities.
Beyond the time drain, Ms McCabe said society is still playing catch-up on the ethical questions posed by digital life.
“We’ve invented all this technology without thinking through the morality,” she said. “AI doesn’t have empathy. It can’t self-correct. And yet it’s shaping law, medicine, even our children’s education.”
She also pointed to the lack of corporate accountability.
“If I sold a product that hurt you, I’d have a duty of care. Where’s the duty of care from social media companies?”
According to the report, Australians log on mainly to keep in touch with family and friends (58.2 per cent) or simply to fill spare time (44.1 per cent).
Ms McCabe said both reflect a broader truth.
“It’s convenient, it’s always there, and it gives us instant distraction,” she said.
“Like fast food, it gives you a quick hit, but it doesn’t really nourish you.”
Her advice is to put the phone down before bed, reclaim forgotten hobbies, and remember the device is meant to serve you, not the other way around.
“Every encounter online comes with a cost,” she said.
“The challenge is choosing when it’s worth it, and when to log off.”
Republished with permission from Catholic Voice.
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