Age measures not stopping underage social media access

New age checks have not reduced underage children’s access to social media, according to CyberSafeKids, which found that many eight- to 12-year-olds still use apps intended for people aged 13 and older.

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The intense debate over banning under-16s from social media is missing the point.

The online safety charity also reported a sharp increase in generative AI use among young people. Children continue to encounter harmful online experiences, including a marked rise in exposure to scams and misleading or false information.

CyberSafeKids acknowledged that parent-led efforts to delay smartphone ownership and social media access have helped some primary-school-aged children. But it said those efforts have not reached every community equally.

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We're arguing over whether to lock the door while the laws already meant to protect children inside go unenforced.

“The intense debate over banning under-16s from social media is missing the point,” said chief executive Alex Cooney. “We're arguing over whether to lock the door while the laws already meant to protect children inside go unenforced.” Cooney added, “We have to do better.”

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We have to do better.

Nicola Flannery of Deloitte Ireland said children were navigating digital environments that had not been designed around their developmental needs and were still seeing harmful content at alarming rates. She said Ireland’s Online Safety Code and the EU Digital Services Act had established minimum protections, but called for regulators to close gaps, platforms to adopt safety by design, schools to teach digital literacy and parents to remain involved.

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Ireland’s Online Safety Code and EU Digital Services Act have raised the floor, but this report shows us that regulation alone was never going to be enough.