Digital Trends

Most of the social networks have a minimum age limit of 13 or 14 for users. That’s fine in theory, but apparently it’s not a limit they’ve been enforcing. A new study by UK telecoms watchdog Ofcom has shown that more than one-quarter of children between the ages of eight and 11 have profiles on a social network, according to the BBC.

 

The survey, of 5,000 adults and 3,000 children, is an attempt to assess the impact of social networks, and it’s raised some interesting issues.

 

Social networks such as Facebook say they remove the profiles of those who are too young, but they don’t have any technology to verify age. That, among other things, has led to the Home Office preparing a set of guidelines which are expected to be issued this Friday. Among them will be the fact that children’s profiles – those under 18 - should have a private setting as a default, or only open to friends named by the user.

 

James Thickett, director of market research at Ofcom, said,

 

"Children's lives are very different from what they were 20 years ago. Social networks are a way of creating a social bond."

 

Currently 41% of children have the profiles open to anyone. 59% of children use the sites to make new friends, they claim. However, 16% of parents admit that they don’t know who can see their child’s profile, and 33% that they set no rules for the use of social networks.