MLN Research asked a group of 7-10 year-old kids and their parents about social media use. The headline? Even as social media continues to dominate and shape our culture, and as technology companies like Facebook and Instagram are developing kid-targeted strategies, elementary school-aged kids are still largely not on social media.
Most parents do not want their kids to use social media. Parents are largely opposed to their children being active on social media because they are worried that their children will see inappropriate content, interact with strangers, or be subject to online bullying. Many parents said that they would allow their kids to be on social media when they entered late middle school or high school.
YouTube and Facebook Messenger Kids are exceptions: While most social media outlets are off limits to kids, parents allow YouTube because it seems more like TV than social media and has a kid-specific platform that is designed primarily for consumption, not for interaction. Facebook Messenger Kids is also parent-approved because it allows kids to interact with their friends and family in a safe way online without giving them access to the rest of Facebook’s functionality.
Many kids have limited interest in social media at this age. Because their worlds are still largely defined by the influence of their parents who shield them from social media, many 7-10 year-old kids don’t find social media very relevant.
However, some kids are interested in social media content. Some parents said that their 7-10 year-old kids have started to become interested in social media. These kids often look at content on their parents’ social accounts, and some kids have parent-regulated accounts on platforms like Instagram or TikTok or on kid-targeted communities like LEGO Life.
Some kids consume and even create content but don’t share it: Kids with some exposure to social media tend to consume content, and others even create their own content – but many stop short at sharing it. Kids enjoy creating social media content (usually videos) because they like to creatively express themselves and because they consider it to be an aspirational activity. However, kids usually don’t post their content primarily because their parents don’t allow it.
Video-based social media is the most interesting to kids: Kids who are into social media are most interested in watching and recording YouTube or Tik Tok videos. Though kids are less likely to use Instagram and Snapchat, those who do are typically interested in watching video content and using video/photo filters.