A UK policy group has warned that hundreds of thousands of children under six may already be active on social media platforms, raising concerns that early exposure to adult-targeted algorithms could have serious developmental consequences.
The Centre for Social Justice says its latest analysis indicates that more than 800,000 children between the ages of three and five are now using at least one social media site or app — a scale of engagement its researchers described as deeply troubling.
The figures were produced by combining newly released population data with previous research by communications regulator Ofcom.
Ofcom’s survey data found that nearly four in 10 parents of children aged three to five reported that their child used at least one social media platform.
A UK policy group has warned that hundreds of thousands of children under six may already be active on social media platforms, raising concerns that early exposure to adult-targeted algorithms could have serious developmental consequences.
The Centre for Social Justice says its latest analysis indicates that more than 800,000 children between the ages of three and five are now using at least one social media site or app — a scale of engagement its researchers described as deeply troubling.
Lord John Nash, who served as education minister from 2013 to 2017, said the findings pointed to a growing mismatch between child protection policies and the reality of online use in early childhood.
“…children who haven’t yet learned to read [are] being fed content and algorithms designed to hook adults”, he warned — a trend he said “should concern us all”.
Nash accused technology companies of failing to prevent young children from entering digital environments never designed for their age group, and urged the government to respond with public education and legal reform.
He said urgent action was needed in the form of “a major public health campaign so parents better understand the damage being done, and legislation that raises the age limit for social media to 16 whilst holding tech giants to account when they fail to keep children off their platforms”.
The figures were produced by combining newly released population data with previous research by communications regulator Ofcom.
Ofcom’s survey data found that nearly four in 10 parents of children aged three to five reported that their child used at least one social media platform.
Using an estimated population of 2.2 million children in that age group in 2024, the Centre for Social Justice extrapolated that roughly 814,000 young children could now be active on social media — an increase of around 220,000 compared with the previous year.
The organisation said the trend points to a rapid acceleration in digital exposure at an age when children are still developing fundamental cognitive and emotional skills.
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