- Significant growth of WhatsApp, increasing use of video games as a space for socialization…
- What are children under 13 doing on social media?
The official minimum age to use most social media platforms is set at 13 years old. This, however, does not prevent children under this age from being present and active on these platforms.
The objectives of the Born Social study, conducted by digital agency heaven in partnership with the Génération Numérique association, are to explore the behaviors of these ‘invisible’ users, draw a portrait of a generation born with social media, and understand their relationship with brands.
This 2024 edition of Born Social provides new insights, including:
- The observation of significant growth in WhatsApp, which is establishing itself as the cross-generational messaging platform and now offers classic social media features (stories/status, channels…) that younger users are increasingly adopting.
- Video game platforms are increasingly becoming spaces for socialization: 63% of pre-teens go on online video games (like Roblox…) to spend time with their friends.
- Nearly a third of children with a screen time tracking app indicate that YouTube is the platform on which they spend the most time.
- Children’s view of their parents’ mobile usage is increasingly critical: 28% of them believe their parents spend too much time on their phones (+7 points compared to 2023).
- The use of geolocation continues to become more widespread: 60% of children indicate that their parents geolocate them using their phones (up from only 34% in 2020).4
- Regarding platform usage, 75% of children under 13 now regularly use at least one social app (up from 71% in 2023).
- Even though it is discussed and known, AI is still rarely used among children under 13.
This study is part of the DNA of heaven agency, which leverages its understanding of emerging digital behaviors to design campaigns that engage in the heart of online conversations.
