What do children under 13 do on social media?

Officially, minors under the age of 13 have no place on social networks. It is therefore logical that statistics and studies on the subject completely exclude them from their frame of reference. While the United States is considering banning social platforms for those under 17, and France is still considering the establishment of a digital majority set at 15, it would be very hypocritical to think that our dear little ones evolve without TikTok and Instagram. This is precisely the subject of the Born Social study, carried out by the Génération digital association, in partnership with the heaven agency, and published on October 1.

WhatsApp and video games, new networks for young people

For its 2024 edition, the Born Social study returned to the uses of this invisible generation, present on social networks, but never really counted. Among the new features this year, the survey points out the evolution of WhatsApptransformed in a few years from a simple instant messaging service to a real social platform. The Meta subsidiary now borrows all the codes of traditional social networks, with discussion channels, statuses, but also the publication of stories, which are more easily understood by younger people. The arrival of interoperability and the Copilot AI assistant in the equation promise to further widen the gap between a simple RCS chat and the possibilities currently offered by WhatsApp.

Rather than socializing on platforms “official” to which they are theoretically prohibited from access, young people also benefit from more permissive spaces to discuss with their peers. As the study reports, video game platforms are becoming more and more socialization spaces : 63% of pre-teens go to online video games like Fortnite and Roblox with the primary goal of spending time with their friends.

YouTube more popular than TikTok

Young people are often criticized for spending their time on TikTok. If the impact of the Chinese social network on the mental health of adolescents is regularly pointed out by European legislators, those who are not yet old enough to scroll clearly prefer to spend their time on YouTube. Television for the younger generation lives up to its name: in the face of streaming platforms, the Google subsidiary has established itself for years as the new prime time for an entire generation, but also for their parents.

A reflection of the family model

If the minimum legal age to open an account on social networks is set at 13 years, the youngest are nevertheless present, and particularly active: 75% of them have at least one account on a social platform, and record regular use there. This generation “alpha” born in the midst of the boom in social platforms, she didn’t wait until she was old enough to scroll. The fault lies in permanent hyperconnectivity, and in parents who also have difficulty getting off their smartphone, recently accused Xavier Niel, the boss of Free, who recently joined the board of directors of TikTok. For good reason: 28% of those under 13 believe that their parents spend too much time on their phone.