With 78% of Aussie students feeling stressed and lonely during exam season, the KitKat team is connecting mates during study breaks at uni campuses across Sydney.  

KitKat has partnered with Snapchat to drop the ‘Break with a Study Mate’ Lens and is also bringing the IRL study break vibes to university campuses with ‘Study Break Booths’.

Need a break?

According to KitKat’s ‘Break with a Study Mate’ research, study breaks spent connecting with mates help students to reset (62%) and feel “less cooked” (39%) proving that sharing a quick break with ate isn’t slacking or distraction, it’s energising.

Time management expert and author, Kate Christie says Gen Z understand the power of pausing.

“Skipping breaks leaves 63% of students feeling drained, with over 60% of students stating short pauses help them stay more productive,” she says.

“When students use break time to connect socially, it helps them feel mentally recharged. Whether it’s a walk-and-talk, a shared snack break or a quick laugh with a friend, those moments matter.”      

Keeping connected

It’s clear digital connection is now baked into the rhythm of exam life, with 95% of students using social media during study breaks. To help students feel less “I’m cooked” and more “we need to lock in” the KitKat team has partnered with Snapchat to drop the ‘Break with a Study Mate’ Lens.  

“For most students, social media isn’t a distraction it’s a tool to stay connected with their mates while using breaks for emotional reset and respite,” Nestlé Head of Marketing Confectionery, Shannon Wright says.

“That’s why we teamed up with Snapchat to make those connections social and intentional with a bespoke KitKat Snapchat lens.”

The Lens is your go-to for sending good vibes, taking a cheeky break, and hyping up your mates during study season. Pick a friend who’s deep in the grind, hit them with the Lens, and boom — you’re both back to the books feeling refreshed. Bonus: you could score a post-exam Contiki Europe trip for two. 

The KitKat team is also bringing the IRL study break vibes to university campuses across Sydney – introducing ‘Study Break Booths’. These soundproof, two-person booths are popping up across selected Sydney university campuses and libraries to help students escape the study hustle, giving them a little oasis to recharge, connect and share a KitKat with a mate. 

The KitKat Study Break Booths will be open to students between 9-5pm at: 

• UTS from 14 October – 30 October 
• UNSW from 4 November – 13 November  
• Macquarie University from the 18 November – 21 November.

Brain food

KitKat’s ‘Break with a Study Mate’ research also found snacks, not caffeine, are Gen Z’s ‘brain food’.

With over half (53%) of students choosing snacks to fuel their study grind, food isn’t just fuel – it’s comfort, ritual, and motivation.