A quarter of children aged 5-7 own a smartphone
According to a new Ofcom study, smartphone and social media usage is soaring among younger children.
The media watchdog found that nearly a quarter of five to seven-year-olds own smartphones, while more than a third regularly log onto social media platforms.
Ofcom says the data is a “wake-up call” for the government and corporations who are not doing enough to protect pre-teens.
The study found that 38% of children aged between five and seven use social media, an 8% jump from a year ago.
Messaging platforms are the most popular, with 37% using WhatsApp and 30% and 22% logging on to TikTok and Instagram, respectively.
Children use smartphones and other mobile devices to access online services and apps. The study found that 75% of kids now use tablets such as iPads.
Safety campaigners are alarmed at the figures and want smartphone usage to be prohibited for young children and existing social media restrictions strengthened.
Many pre-teens now access social media even though Meta’s platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp, require users to be at least 13 years old to create an account.
Ofcom’s Mark Bunting says companies have a “legal obligation” to keep children safe.
He added: “They have to take account of the users they have, not the users that their terms and conditions say they have.”
Parents are also struggling to curb their children’s smartphone usage.
Many parents acquiesce and allow children to use smartphones so they are contactable. However, one parent told the BBC that younger children are peer pressured into signing up to social sites when friends use them.
Ofcom’s study found that parents are now “resigned” to the fact they can’t fully control their children’s digital lives.
The government could help, though; Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, says the government will prioritise the safety of children online after stating that five-year-olds “should not be accessing social media.”