Key findings
The voices of young Australian’s can help us better understand the challenges they are facing in an ever-changing world.
The latest National Child Health Poll from The Royal Children’s Hospital surveyed 2,012 Australian parents and 1,488 children, aged between 12 – 17 years. The inclusion of data from young people in this report helps to build a picture of their world, providing an insight in the challenges they outline. By identifying these we have the opportunity to better support them.
The survey comprised two questionnaires—one completed by a parent or caregiver, and the other by their child aged 12 to 17 years. For parents with more than one child in the target population, one child was randomly selected to participate. Both parents and children responded to close-ended questions assessing their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to health information and social media use among teens.
Key findings include:
- Two thirds (63%) of teens get health information from social media, with the leading topics being fitness and diet.
- The majority of teens (77%) and their parents (79%) say it is hard to tell what is true and untrue on social media.
- Many teens make health decisions based on social media content, with over a third (42%) having tried or considered trying something new after seeing it on social media.
- More than a third (41%) of teens say social media makes them wish their body was different.
Poll report
The latest National Child Health Poll, which surveyed Australian parents and one of their children aged between 12 – 17 found that almost all (90%) young people aged 12 to 17 years use social media with two thirds (68%) using it at least once every day and just over half (54%) using it multiple times a day. Nearly two-thirds of teens (63%) say they get health information from social media. This is more common among female teens (70%) than male teens (56%), and among older teens—67% of 17 year olds—compared to 54% of 12 year olds. These findings suggest that teens are exposed to health information on social media even if they’re not actively seeking it, as only 27% say they would turn to social media when intentionally looking for health information. Of note, 70% of teens said they would speak to their parents if they were needing health advice. Read the full report to explore these findings further.
Download the report
Poll questions
The poll surveyed 2,012 Australian parents and 1,488 children aged 12 to 17 years in May 2025. Parents provided data on their child and the selected child shared data on their behaviour and knowledge regarding health information and social media
Download the questions
In the news
Information for parents
The Royal Children’s Hospital has developed a new suite of resources to help parents and teens seek reliable health information. This suite includes fact sheets on topics that young people have told us matter to them, as well as a specially developed guide to understanding how to access reliable health information online.
Each fact sheet is accompanied by an explainer sheet for parents to provide them with support and insight into the challenges being faced by their children.
Topics covered:
- Skin health
- Food and nutrition
- Exercise
- Periods
- Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
- Alcohol and substance use
- Vaping and nicotine use
- Gender and sexuality
- Navigating the health care system
- Health care and confidentiality
- Screens and social media
- Contraception
- Words you hear in health care
- Mental health
Access the fact sheets Teen Health Info : About Teen Health Info
