One in Five Children Uses a Fake Age on Social Media
OFCOM, the UK’s communications and media regulatory authority has warned social media companies that they need to take stronger measures to prevent children from pretending to be adults online. According to a new survey conducted by the UK media watchdog, 22 percent of children aged 8-17 claim to be over 18 in order to access social media platforms.
This issue persists despite the Online Safety Act (OSA), which requires social media platforms to implement stricter age verification methods by 2025. OFCOM emphasized that relying solely on self-declared age is insufficient and highlighted that these shortcomings increase the risk of exposing children to harmful content. While companies like Instagram offer features such as “teen accounts,” young users report that bypassing age checks is still relatively easy. Students from Rosshall Academy in Glasgow stated that they could create social media accounts simply by changing their birth year without providing any additional documentation.
OFCOM is testing new age verification technologies and has warned that companies failing to comply with the Online Safety Act could face fines of up to 10 percent of their global revenue. Tragic incidents, such as the cases of Molly Russell and Brianna Ghey, have heightened public concern about online harms and increased calls for stricter measures.
While TikTok announced its efforts to determine users' ages more effectively, platforms like Meta and Snapchat declined to comment. Meanwhile, the Australian government has introduced legislation banning social media use for children under 16. It is suggested that the UK might consider adopting similar measures.