A third of children have adult social media accounts, UK regulator finds: How can we improve child safety online?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.

Author: Simon Torkington, Senior Writer, Formative Content

• Children are using fake ages to create adult social media profiles.
• Regulators warn children are at risk from harmful content on social media.
• Enhancing child safety online requires global collaboration on standards.

“How old is your child online?”

It’s a question asked of parents by the UK communications regulator Ofcom as it highlights the potential risks to children with adult social media profiles. A new report commissioned by the watchdog finds that “a third of children aged between 8 and 17 with a social media profile have an adult user age”.

The accounts are being set up by entering false dates of birth on the registration pages of the world’s most popular social media platforms. The chart below shows the percentage of children aged 8-12 who told Ofcom’s researchers they had used a false age to sign up for social media accounts.

Most social media channels have age restrictions designed to stop children under 13 from creating their own profiles – but Ofcom’s data suggests these restrictions are easy to bypass. That is less surprising when it becomes clear that many parents are actually helping their children to set up social media profiles before their 13th birthday.

Discover

What is the World Economic Forum doing about improving online safety?

With almost 3.8 billion people now online globally, the digital world offers significant benefits, but also poses the risks of harmful content.

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), created by the World Federation of Advertisers, is scaling its impact by partnering with the World Economic Forum’s platform for Media, Entertainment and Culture to improve the safety of digital environments, addressing harmful and misleading media while protecting consumers and brands.

GARM focuses on ensuring viewer safety for consumers, reducing risks for advertisers, developing credibility for digital platforms and, more broadly, ensuring a sustainable online ecosystem.

The Alliance is working with the Forum’s network of industry, academic, civil society and public-sector partners to amplify its work on digital safety and to ensure that consumers and their data are protected online within a healthier media ecosystem.

Businesses can join the Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of Media, Entertainment and Culture and apply to partner with the Alliance and similar initiatives. Read more in our Impact Story or contact us to find out more.

Ofcom’s report says: “Our research tells us that many children, particularly in the younger age range (between eight and 12), had help from their parents or guardians to set up their social media account. In many cases, parents’ motivations include wanting to make sure their child didn’t miss out.”

Discover

What is the World Economic Forum doing about improving online safety?

With almost 3.8 billion people now online globally, the digital world offers significant benefits, but also poses the risks of harmful content.

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), created by the World Federation of Advertisers, is scaling its impact by partnering with the World Economic Forum’s platform for Media, Entertainment and Culture to improve the safety of digital environments, addressing harmful and misleading media while protecting consumers and brands.

GARM focuses on ensuring viewer safety for consumers, reducing risks for advertisers, developing credibility for digital platforms and, more broadly, ensuring a sustainable online ecosystem.

The Alliance is working with the Forum’s network of industry, academic, civil society and public-sector partners to amplify its work on digital safety and to ensure that consumers and their data are protected online within a healthier media ecosystem.

Businesses can join the Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of Media, Entertainment and Culture and apply to partner with the Alliance and similar initiatives. Read more in our Impact Story or contact us to find out more.

Children in an adult world

When children use profiles that portray them as adults, they risk being exposed to inappropriate content increases. Ofcom gives an example of an 8-year-old posing as a 13-year-old.

After five years, the child will actually reach the age of 13 – but social media algorithms will now recognise them as 18 years old. At this point, the platform will lift protections designed to prevent children from seeing inappropriate content.

“Children are increasingly exposed to harmful content,” says Minos Bantourakis, Project Lead of the World Economic Forum’s Global Coalition for Digital Safety. “This includes violent and sexual content, hate speech, and content that can encourage self-harm and suicide. Children are also subject to criminal behaviours, such as online grooming,” says Bantourakis.

Reducing the risks to children

Reducing the vulnerability of children to online risks will require a wide range of interventions. The Forum’s Global Coalition for Digital Safety is a public-private partnership that draws together tech platforms and online safety organizations alongside academia, civil society and government in a project to enhance safety in digital spaces.

The Global Coalition for Digital Safety’s work focuses on three main areas. The first is establishing a set of global principles for digital safety to ensure human rights, privacy and security. The panel will also work to create a toolkit for designed-in safety interventions that could include content removal, warning labels as well as proactive tactics to improve safety. The third initiative is a digital safety risk assessment framework, which platforms would use to assess digital safety risks and measure the impact of interventions.

Enhancing digital safety will require global consensus and governance around an agreed set of principles and practices. There’s more on this in the video below.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/23pSVQZK-ncRE1zO6.html

Social media companies say they are stepping up efforts to keep children safe on their platforms. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is creating new tools to prevent children from being harmed. Snapchat allows in-app reporting of harmful content, and Tik Tok has published this guide to help guardians ensure children are safe while using their app.

Online safety begins at home

Perhaps the most immediate and effective interventions to keep children safe online are those made by parents and close family members.

Ofcom has some simple tips to follow to ensure children are not exposed to harmful online content. They include:

• Recognize that your child values being online.
• Agree ground rules for online and social media use.
• Check your child’s ‘online age’ is accurate.
• Talk regularly to children about their online lives and let them know they can talk to you about any concerns.
• Use parental controls on phones, tablets and laptops to prevent exposure to harmful content.