ALMOST a quarter of 5 to 7-year-olds now have a smartphone according to shock new findings by Ofcom.
The watchdog warned that infant school kids are increasingly online and going unsupervised.
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Social media usage has jumped by 38 per cent among the five-to-sevens, accessing apps such as WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and Discord despite these sites requiring users to be at least 13-years-old to have an account.
But the study also revealed that a third of parents let their child use social media independently.
Children as young as five should not be accessing social media
Michelle Donelan
The number of parents of younger children who said they were more likely to allow their child to have a social media profile before they reached the minimum age required has also risen from 25% to 30%.
“While parental concerns in some areas have increased considerably, their enforcement of rules appears to be diminishing, in part perhaps because of resignation about their ability to intervene in their children’s online lives,” Ofcom‘s annual report reads.
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It comes months after a new law to crackdown on tech giants was introduced.
The Government is considering new curbs on social media access for under-16s that could go as far as a total ban.
And more recent reports suggest children could be banned from buying smartphones too – though this wouldn’t stop parents from handing them one.
Some three quarters of kids use a tablet or computer, Ofcom’s data also showed.
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The amount that go online to send messages or make voice and video calls has risen by six per on last year to 65%, while half now watch live-streamed content, up from 39%.
Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation Michelle Donelan said: “Children as young as five should not be accessing social media and these stark findings show why our Online Safety Act is essential.
“Most platforms say they do not allow under-13s onto their sites and the Act will ensure companies enforce these limits or they could face massive fines. If they fail to comply with Ofcom decisions and keep children safe their bosses could face prison.
“Protecting children online is our number one priority and we will not hesitate to build on the Act to keep them safe.”
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In other stark findings, the research showed that four in ten children aged between eight and 17 lied about their age to access an app.
A third within that age group said they had experienced something “nasty or hurtful” online.
Richard Collard, a child safety executive at the NSPCC, said: “The number of very young children using social media points to a systemic failure by tech companies to enforce the age limits which they set.”
Concerns were recently raised after WhatsApp lowered its age limit from 16 to 13.
