Before and before. According to the latest Arch figures, which Tech & Co was able to consult, the average age of the first use of a social network is 12 years. The trend accelerates since 22% of children under 10 have already used a platform, against only 4% seven years ago. And daily use is huge: 83% of children from 11 to 17 years of age connect to at least one platform every day, and half of them frequent Instagram, Tiktok or Snapchat daily.
Unmissable meeting of the digital school year for more than ten years, the “Born Social” study, conducted by the agency of the sky, also confirms this phenomenon. She specifies “that a peak of mass equipment is still carried out at age 11, a crucial age between CM2 and 6th”, and “that in three children already has a smartphone before their 11th birthday.” Early generalization that naturally promotes its presence in social networks.
Small age limits framed
To avoid age -related restrictions on platforms, 62% of young people admit to having lied about their age by registering “without giving rise to many controls,” says the ARCOM.
The social barometer born adds that young people under 13 in 2025, born after 2012, that is, in a world already marked by YouTube, Facebook, Instagram (after their acquisition) and even Snapchat, they still declare that 75 % use social networks, platforms … to which they are not supposed to have access.
On the side of the law, it is explained that “the social networks that exercise their activity in France must reject the registration of their services of children under 15, unless one of the owners of the authority of the parents provide an authorization.” In fact, an implementation decree has not yet been published.
New uses …
Arch also points out that “the adolescents’ attachment to the platforms remains very strong. They consider them essential for their sociability. They are an integral part of their cultural practices, entertainment and information.” For its part, the study of the agency of Heaven observes that video games remain the most significant center of interest among children from 11 to 12 years.
This phenomenon is particularly marked in children, 82 % of which declare themselves interested in it “all or almost”, but also refers to girls to a high level (47 %). Humor, manga or football are still in the ranking. The centers of interest also reflect certain gender representations: fashion and art seem more associated with girls, while football and manga arouse more attraction in children.
And new spaces for socialization
Therefore, another significant development is observed: young people under 13 have discovered new spaces for socialization, particularly immersive. In fact, one of the main differences in its new digital uses lies in their habit of ending on online games platforms, especially the very popular Roblox and Fortnite.
The born social study emphasizes that “online video games are used by more than 60 % of them to spend time with their friends.” This year, more than 61 % of the young people interviewed declared to use these platforms to exchange and entertain with friends, against only 57 % for messaging applications (such as WhatsApp or Messenger). This figure has increased by 22 % since 2020.
Roblox remains the most popular platform, appreciated in a relatively balanced way by boys and girls. There is also a renewed interest in Fortnite and Minecraft, possibly linked to film news, to the detriment of Brawl’s stars.
Cyber and shocking content
But this digital precocity is not exempt from consequences: 39 % of adolescents believe that social networks affect their mental health and 58 % of young people say they have been exposed to violent content, according to the figures provided by the ARCOM. “Adolescents are strongly exposed to risks despite their control of certain tools” underlines the public authority, which insists that during their research “, adolescents have testified sometimes very strong and lasting impacts that these events can have in their well -being (lack of sleep, bad meetings, loss of self -confidence …)”. “
Marc, 14 years old and third place student, and who testified in the study of the Arcom, tells its exhibition inadequate through the social networks he uses daily, such as Tiktok, Instagram, Snapchat and especially Telegram. This last application particularly worries it: it distinguishes a “healthy” and another dangerous “face there, with channels spreading explicit, violent or pornographic content.
“In Telegram, there are only people who can send you strange videos,” he explains. Marc says that it does not have a real way to filter these shipments, except to block later. Faced with these situations, he adopts a disappointed position: “I stop the video, they disgust me.”
“I think they should make a social media minister, who would make more prevention (…) As soon as there is a person who too often insults people, who make videos, have to pay a fine, a fine,” he deems in summary, a 14 -year -old girl.
Source: BFM TV
