Forty-one state attorneys general recently filed suit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, alleging that the company causes mental health problems among young people.
Children’s social media usage has changed over the years, with social media sites such as YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram becoming more prominent than Facebook.
Even pro-social media groups, such as the youth-led organization Design It For Us, which advocates for “safer online platforms and social media,” are calling on tech companies to implement safety measures on social media.
Here are the apps kids use most and the safety features social media sites are implementing to protect them.
What social media and apps are your children using?
The Pew Research survey, conducted from September 26 to October 23, 2023, questioned 1,453 13- to 17-year-olds about social media, internet usage, and device ownership.
The survey revealed that YouTube remains the top platform among teens, with 90% of teens surveyed saying they use YouTube. Following in popularity are TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram.
Take a look at other findings here.
For 13- to 17-year-olds, usage of these social media platforms hasn’t changed significantly from last year. Here are the numbers reported using various platforms:
- 63% TikTok
- 60% Snapchat
- 59% Instagram
- Among teens and young adults ages 15 to 17, 70% say they use these platforms.
Usage of other platforms has decreased.
- Facebook: 71% in 2014-2015, now 33%
- X (formerly Twitter) has also decreased over the past 10 years.
Internet use and mobile phones are ubiquitous.
- Half of teenagers say they use the internet “almost always,” about the same as last year, but about twice as many who said so in the 2014-15 survey.
- 90% say they use the internet at least daily
- 95% of teenagers own or have access to a smartphone
- 90% have access to a desktop or laptop computer
- 83% have access to a gaming console
- 65% have access to a tablet
YouTube safety features
- YouTube has another app called YouTube Kids. This is a filtered version of YouTube with less content available than the main app or website. According to information on the YouTube website, YouTube Kids looks for content that is “age-appropriate, adheres to quality principles, and is diverse enough to meet the different interests of children around the world.”
- The platform’s community guidelines state that content that contains “harmful or dangerous behavior that may be imitated by minors,” “adult themes in family content,” and “vulgar language” is age-appropriate. There are restrictions.
- Some features may be disabled for content featuring children, such as commenting, live chat, live streaming, video recommendations, community posts, and short video remixes.
TikTok safety features
- Adult content is restricted to those 18 years and older.
- You must be at least 13 years old to open an account on the main TikTok.
- There is a separate “Kids Mode” for users under 13, which provides a more limited experience. Young users can watch a selection of “pretty” videos, but are limited in what else they can do within the app. For example, you can’t search or comment on videos.
- Restricts sending and receiving direct messages to people over 16 years old.
- Allows users under 18 to participate in Lives, send gifts to creators during live sessions, and make money on TikTok with features like selling products and crowdfunding projects. Limit.
- Content created by users under the age of 16 is not eligible for the “For You” feed, which provides recommended content based on a user’s specific interests and videos they have previously watched or interacted with.
Snapchat safety features
- Users must be at least 13 years old to create an account. The Platform will terminate the accounts of any Users it determines are under 13 years of age.
- The platform has a digital literacy program called Safety Snapshot that educates users about data privacy, security, and online safety.
- Parent’s guide with tips for parents.
Instagram safety features
- Users must be 13 years or older to create an account
- The default setting for users under 16 is “Private,” but you also have the option to change it to “Public.”
- The default setting for users 16 and older is “Public,” but you have the option to change it to “Private.”
- By default, users under 18 can’t tag, mention, or use your content in Reels remixes or guides unless they follow your account.
- Prevents people over 19 from sending private messages to teens they don’t follow.
- We stop blocked or reported adult accounts from interacting with teen accounts.
- Content controls that allow teens to choose how much “sensitive content” they see from accounts they don’t follow. The options are “Standard” and “Less than”.
- Content that is reviewed and found to be objectionable, such as graphic or violent content, will be removed for users under 18.
- Instagram restricts users under 18 from publishing content related to “alcohol, tobacco, knives, weight loss products, cosmetic procedures, sex toys, sexual enhancement products, gambling, or entheogens.”
- Parental monitoring tools are available in the platform’s “Family Center.” This includes setting time limits, scheduling breaks, seeing how much time they spend on the app, seeing your teen’s account and what they follow, “Sharing Connections,” blocking or reporting accounts, and teen privacy. Select settings. Both parents and children must consent to participate.
- It will send notifications to users aged 13 to 17 to take a break from using the app, and a reminder to use “Quiet Mode” if the app is used “for a period of time late at night.”
Alec Johnson (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @AlecJohnson12.