Children routinely using social media, Australian regulator says

Children routinely using social media, Australian regulator says 1 hour ago Graham Fraser Technology Reporter Getty Images More than 80% of Australian children aged eight to 12 use social media or messaging services that are only meant to be for over-13s, according to new research. It comes as Australia plans to implement a total social media ban for under-16s that is expected by the end of this year. The country's internet regulator, eSafety, found YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat were the most popular platforms used by young children. The regulator accused the apps of "a lack of robust interventions" for checking the ages of their users. The companies in question - Discord, Google (YouTube), Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Reddit, Snap, TikTok and Twitch - did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Users of all of these platforms must be 13 and over to have an account, though there are some exceptions. For example, YouTube has Family Link - when an account is accessible for ... Read full article.