Study: A third of minors on social networks lie about their age

Three out of ten children, aged 13 to 17, reported using a different birth date at some time to create a social media profile. — AFP Relaxnews

It’s an open secret. Minors are indeed present on social networks. While platforms have restricted access to their platforms to individuals over the age of 13, the young social media fans have no problem lying about their age in order to sign up, as a new study shows.

Social networks unwittingly play host to many minors who pretend to be of age. That’s the conclusion of a British study conducted by Ofcom,* the UK telecommunications regulator. The report focused on users of the six most popular social-networking platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Twitter.