LONDON, Oct 12 ― It's an open secret. Minors are indeed present on social networks. While platforms have restricted access to their platforms to individuals over the age of 13, the young social media fans have no problem lying about their age in order to sign up, as a new study shows.

Social networks unwittingly play host to many minors who pretend to be of age. That's the conclusion of a British study conducted by Ofcom,* the UK telecommunications regulator. The report focused on users of the six most popular social-networking platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Twitter.

The study found that 32 per cent of children aged 8-17 pretended to be of age when creating their accounts on these platforms. This percentage increases to 47 per cent for children aged 8 -15 who claim to be over 16. Among the youngest, the 8-12 year olds, two out of five children (39 per cent) indicated that they were over 16 years old on their profile while a quarter of them (23 per cent) chose to appear as 18 years old. The goal? To have access to content and or functionalities inaccessible to underage users.

Among the social networks listed, YouTube ranks as the most popular platform for 87 per cent of 8-17 year olds surveyed. Note that users were also able to reference YouTube Kids. TikTok takes second place (62 per cent), followed by Instagram (47 per cent), Snapchat (46 per cent), Facebook (40 per cent), and Twitter (20 per cent). Kids aged 8-12 were more likely to admit to creating a profile with a fake birth date, mostly on TikTok (65 per cent), followed by Snapchat (59 per cent), Instagram (54 per cent), Facebook (44 per cent), and finally YouTube (43 per cent). Among 13- to 15-year-olds, three in 10 kids said they chose a birth date to appear older online, with Instagram the platform where the greatest percentage did this (36 per cent).

Too much freedom?

A potential flaw in the various systems since the majority of 8-17 year olds were able to create their profiles without the supervision of their parents. This percentage of such cases is highest on TikTok and Twitter, at 71 per cent and 70 per cent respectively, followed by Instagram (68 per cent), Snapchat (67 per cent, Facebook (55 per cent) and finally YouTube (47 per cent).

The British government appointed Ofcom as the online safety regulator, as part of the "Online Safety Bill,” which aims to make internet access safer for minors. The issue of moderation and appropriate content offered to users according to the age of their profile came back to the fore at the end of September. A court found unsafe content on social networks contributed to the suicide of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old British girl who took her own life in 2017. The girl had been exposed to graphic and dangerous content on Instagram and Pinterest, platforms which she had been signed up to since the age of 12. ― ETX Studio

* Study conducted between July 14 and 18, 2022, on 1,039 social network users, aged 8 to 17.