Children's Social Media Use Raises Safety and Academic Concerns

Parents are increasingly limiting the sharing of their children's photos online due to privacy and consent worries. The rise of deep‑fake technology and AI‑generated content has prompted some parents and influencers to blur faces or stop posting images altogether, citing the risk that images can be copied, altered, or misused without the child's permission.

A new study of more than 5,000 pupils in northern Italy found that children who joined social media before age 13 performed worse on standardized tests in Italian and mathematics, with the gap widening by age 15‑16. The same effect was not observed for English, which the researchers attribute to the abundance of English‑language content on platforms. The authors call for digital‑literacy programmes in schools and suggest stricter regulation of platform features that target minors.

The findings arrive amid policy debates worldwide. Australia has banned social‑media access for users under 16, while France, Spain and the United Kingdom are considering similar age‑restriction laws. The European Union is also moving toward tighter rules on children's use of online services.