Alarming new research has found three in four Australian kids are on social media apps by the time they turn eight, as Instagram moves to make it safer for teenagers to use the app.
The report from Australia’s eSafety commissioner revealed almost all 12-year-olds were on social media too, despite being under the official age limit for social media sites.
The data comes amid the launch of Instagram’s new teen accounts, which provides a safer alternative for those under 18.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced the teen account changes to the app on September 17.
“I’m a dad and this is a significant change to Instagram, and one that I’m personally very proud of,” he told his Instagram followers in an online video posted to the app.
“I talk to parents all the time about their concerns about their teens being online and I consistently hear three things; one, concerns about who can contact them, two, what content they see and three, how much time that they spend online.”
The changes became active immediately for new users in Australia, the US, the UK and Canada.
For current users aged under 18 in those areas, the new rules will come into effect within 60 days.
“Teen accounts are designed to hopefully address all three of those concerns without requiring anything from a parent,” Mosseri said.
It follows news that more than a dozen US states have filed lawsuits against TikTok, alleging the video app is harming young people’s mental health due to its addictive design.
The Instagram overhaul gives parents greater oversight and allows them to see who their teen has messaged, but not the message itself.
