We talk a lot about wellness these days — and that’s a good thing. But for many teenagers, the world of “wellness” they’ve grown up in over the past decade has been shaped more by algorithms than by real-life experience. Wellness has become something to perform rather than something to feel.
The recent Australian decision to restrict social media for under-16s may be one of the most positive steps we’ve seen for youth wellbeing in years. Not because social media is inherently bad, but because many teens have never known life without that constant stream of comparison, commentary, and curated “health advice.” For the first time, they’re getting space — real space — to breathe.
A lighter landscape for teens
For years, teens have been absorbing thousands of messages a day: how to eat, how to move, how to sleep better, how to glow, how to “improve” every aspect of themselves. And woven through all of it is an ever-present undertone of appearance.
The removal of social media access gives young people a chance to step away from this pressure cooker. It allows them to reconnect with the natural ebb and flow of adolescence without the constant backdrop of who looks better, who’s doing more, or who seems to be living a more “perfectly optimised” life.
The pressure to optimise everything
Many teens have felt they needed to master the perfect morning routine, follow rigid food rules, maintain glowing skin, or demonstrate relentless positivity. It’s no wonder so many have felt overwhelmed.
Without those constant cues, many teens will now have the opportunity to rediscover what wellbeing actually feels like — not what it’s supposed to look like.
A healthier relationship with themselves
When we take away the noise, something lovely happens: young people start to tune back into their experience. Their emotions. Their energy. Their preferences.
It’s in this quieter space that real wellbeing begins.
And as adults, parents and coaches, we can support this shift by helping teens explore who they are without the lens of social comparison.
Three Practical Ways to Support Teen Wellness (when they are off social media)
1. Celebrate the new space they have — and help them explore it.
With social media out of the picture, teens have a rare opportunity to notice how they feel without the constant pull of notifications and trends.
Gentle questions like:
“What are you enjoying doing more of now?”
“How’s your energy without scrolling?”
can help them recognise the benefits of this digital pause. It reinforces that wellbeing is about living, not posting.
2. Let them see you practising real-life, imperfect wellness.
Teenagers learn from what we model. When they see us resting when we’re tired, choosing movement because it feels good, or saying no to rigid rules, they learn that health doesn’t need to be perfect.
Your behaviour gives them permission to be kinder to themselves.
3. Shift the focus from appearance to experience.
If teens talk about how they look, try gently bringing the conversation back to how they feel:
“What helps you unwind?”
“What feels calming for you lately?”
This builds self-awareness, stabilises self-esteem, and helps them anchor their identity in something deeper than aesthetics.
A hopeful moment for teen wellbeing
The changes happening now provide a genuine window for young people to reconnect with the world around them and, more importantly, with themselves. Without the constant demands and comparisons of social media, teens can begin to shape a healthier, more grounded sense of who they are.
And we, as the adults in their lives, have an opportunity to guide them gently toward a version of wellness that is lived, not performed — messy, human, and wonderfully real.
