Australians may not be addicted to social media, but many feel they cannot leave without paying a social price, new research suggests.
A study by UNSW Business School has found platforms such as Instagram and TikTok persist not because users enjoy them, but because opting out can be worse than staying in.
Published in the Journal of Public Economics, the research describes these platforms as “bad networks”, where participation may harm wellbeing but social pressure keeps users engaged.
Co-author Professor Richard Holden said the team wanted to examine the “dark side” of network effects, where popularity drives continued use despite negative impacts.
Using economic modelling, researchers found even a small number of early adopters can trigger widespread uptake.
These “instigators” create momentum, while reluctant users, described as “resistors”, eventually join to avoid missing out.
The study likens the behaviour to attending events people would rather skip but feel obliged to attend because others are going.
Central to the problem is what researchers call a social media “rat race”, where users compete for likes, followers and status signals that offer little collective benefit and may reduce wellbeing.
“Amplifying the rat race boosts network size, which may benefit the platform but harms consumers,” the study found.
Evidence cited in the paper includes internal Meta research showing Instagram worsened body image issues for one in three teenage girls, while users linked the platform to rising anxiety and depression.
Despite this, participation remains high.
The researchers suggest regulation may help, but modest measures are unlikely to break entrenched networks.
Intervention possibilites including taxes or bans. Australia’s move to restrict social media access for under-16s was highlighted as one approach aimed at limiting early adoption and reducing harm.
