Startling number of kids on social media without parental supervision

By Stephen Beech

One in three children aged seven to nine now use social media apps - many without parental supervision, reveals new research.

Two-thirds of parents expressed concerns about their child sharing private information through apps, according to the findings.

But one in six mums and dads of youngsters on social media don’t use parental controls, while two in five say it’s "too time-consuming" to monitor their kids’ internet use.

While teenagers making TikTok videos, communicating through Snapchat or growing their own Instagram accounts has become common in the modern digital era, social platforms are also becoming familiar to ever younger children.

Half of 10- to 12-year-olds and a third aged seven to nine now use their devices to engage with others on social media apps, according to a poll of American parents.

And while most mums and dads track their kids’ social media use, one in six aren’t using any parental controls for their child’s social apps, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

Sarah Clark, Mott Poll co-director, said: “There continues to be debate over how soon is too soon when it comes to using social apps and how parents should oversee it.

“Our poll looks at how often tweens and younger children use social platforms and how closely parents are monitoring these interactions.”

The nationally representative report was based on responses from 1,030 parents with at least one child aged seven to 12.

Parents cited several challenges in overseeing their kids’ social media use with one in five saying they couldn’t find the information they needed to set up parental controls.

Another two in five said it was "too time-consuming" to monitor social media, while just over a third believed parental controls are a waste of time because youngsters would find a loophole around them.

Ms. Clark says parents should be aiding children to navigate the social media world to help them understand the harms of oversharing and interacting with strangers.

She said: “If parents are allowing younger children to engage in social media, they should take responsibility for making the child’s online environment as safe as possible.

“If parents can’t commit to taking an active role in their child’s social media use, they should have their child wait to use these apps.”

In deciding which apps are appropriate and safe for their child, nearly three in four parents polled said they consider if the app has parental controls while more than three in five looked at an app’s age rating or if it’s needed for school.

Most mums and dads are currently using at least one parent control feature, with nearly two-thirds using a parental block on certain sites and three-fifths requiring parent approval for new contacts.

More than half of mums and dads also used privacy settings, daily time limits and passcodes for certain content.

A third of parents say their child was taught in school about safe use of social media apps, and these parents are more likely to say their child uses social media apps.

Many mums and dads expressed concerns about social apps, especially when it came to their child’s privacy, exposure to inappropriate content and vulnerability to adult predators.

But despite two-thirds of parents expressing concerns about their child sharing private information through apps, only 56 percent say they use privacy settings that limit the collection of data through children’s apps.

Half of the parents polled also thought their child would be unable to spot an adult user, yet just three in five require their child to get parent approval for new contacts on social media apps.

Ms. Clark said: “It may be difficult to recognize an adult masquerading as a kid on social media so parents need to take a gatekeeping role for younger kids."

Other parents worried children might encounter adult images or other content that wasn’t age-appropriate.

Ms. Clark recommended that parents research apps they’re considering allowing their child to use, including versions that cater to kids.

This may include modified versions of apps popular with teens, such as Facebook’s Messenger Kids or TikTok’s “younger user” section.

Other apps, designed specifically for pre-teens, try to limit the online risks by restricting certain activities - such as posting photos or using private chats - and offering dashboards or reports for parents to monitor their child’s use of the app.

Ms. Clark said: “Parents should look into whether the content is curated to allow only youth-friendly programming or whether there is a moderator that weeds out inappropriate content.

“They should also utilize parental blocks or passcodes for certain sites or content.”

A third of parents aren’t confident that their child could recognize what information is true or false on social media apps.

Ms. Clark recommended parents talk to their kids about identifying credible sources, and said they may encourage children to rely on sites or information sources recommended by the school or educational apps.

But she said helping children recognize altered images and videos may be more challenging.

Ms. Clark said parents should have ongoing conversations with young children about what they read and see on social apps and help them recognize disinformation and altered images as such content may lead to distorted perceptions of body image or encourage dangerous actions.

She added: “Parents should be guiding children toward safe use of social media apps through both parental controls and having regular conversations with their kids to teach them online safety rules.

“For young kids who are using these apps for the first time, it’s especially important for their parents to stay vigilant about content they’re engaging with and who they’re talking to.

"Parents should also be transparent that they plan to monitor their child’s profiles, posts and interactions on social media until they’re older.”