Terms and Conditions

More than a decade ago, a combination of technological advancement and the human desire for connection intersected at the creation of the first social media platform. Now, more than a decade later, a new generation’s attention has been captivated by a new host of social media platforms, and along with them, a new host of issues. The average age of children signing up for social media sites has been on a steady decline in recent years, and in an increasingly dangerous world, these children are thrust into an environment they are not yet equipped to navigate. To allow children onto social media platforms where they are at risk of unsafe behavior without further protection or education is irresponsible. 

At age 13, children are legally permitted into a whole new world online, whether or not they are prepared for it. The most commonly known law to protect children online is the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Under COPPA, the minimum age to sign up for social media in the US is 13. Contrary to popular belief, however, COPPA was not created purely for the protection of children’s well-beings, but rather the protection of their data. Companies oftentimes ask for personal information in order to improve their marketing or content, and to give parents “control over what information is collected from their young children online,” the US government enacted COPPA (1). Among the many requirements of the act, all companies, not just social media platforms, must give clear outlines of their intentions for the information collected and obtain consent from parents before collecting information. However, the protection of a child’s data is not synonymous with the protection of a child’s well-being. Furthermore, COPPA is the only legal protection that is aimed towards children growing up with technology, and even then, it is easily overridden and ignored by children as they quickly click through the lengthy terms and conditions of social media apps. 

COPPA was first enacted in 1989, over three decades ago, and is only helpful when protecting data in ideal situations where the child has not yet signed up for social media. However, this ideal situation is increasingly less common, because current social media platforms most popular with today’s youths such as Instagram and Snapchat, do a poor job of monitoring the ages of their users. To actively cut out underage users, they would be cutting out on a significant portion of their audience. When signing up for accounts, potential users can easily lie about their age, and in 2018, more than 50% of children under the age of 12 were already active on at least one social media account (2). Most children can only “think abstractly” when they are in their teen years, ranging from 12 to 18, and until then, they may struggle to determine what is or is not appropriate for them to be posting online (3). For the growing majority of children under the age of 12 that have already established an online presence for themselves, the social media sites and current legislation, provides nothing to protect them from the harmful or potentially risky things they may encounter on social media. 

In an increasingly technology-based society, where social media is more and more common, COPPA is no longer enough protection for children that are online. There is a new generation of kids growing up alongside technology, which puts them at a new set of risks that were not seen a generation ago, and without imposing new, updated legislation or rules to protect them, these children will be forced to grow up too fast.
 

Sources 

1. Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions. Federal Trade Commission, 22 July 2020, https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions-0. Accessed 27 September 2020. 

2. Brigham, Katie. “Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok Have a Massive Underage User Problem - Here's Why It Matters.” CNBC, CNBC, 22 Dec. 2018, 9:15 AM EST , www.cnbc.com/2018/12/21/what-age-is-appropriate-to-sign-up-for-social-media.html. 

3. Howard, Jacqueline. “What's the Age When Kids Start Social Media?” CNN, Cable News Network, 22 June 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/06/22/health/social-media-for-kids-parent-curve/index.html.