42 per cent of children falsely claim they are over 18 on social media sites
Children aged between 11 and 15 who use social media sites mainly do so using a false age, research from the ASA has found, with 42 per cent pretending to be over 18.
The ASA found that advertisers are acting in good faith by taking account of the registered age of social media account holders when delivering their ads; although the fact that some provided fake ages meant that they were presented with ads for age-sensitive products for gambling, alcohol, slimming aids and overtly sexual dating services.
It was found that of the children interviewed, nine participants were aged below the permitted age of registration on at least one social media site.
ASA chief executive Guy Parker said: “On the face of it, our survey suggests that advertisers are sticking to the rules but children aren’t. But before we all lay the blame with parents and guardians, we need to be honest: if advertisers and social media companies know that children say they’re older than they are, don’t they have a crucial part to play too?
“We’ll be talking to them about self-declared age-gating and considering whether we need to take a tougher line. But we all need to be part of this conversation about how best to set the boundaries within which our children explore the world around them.”
The study saw children using social media platforms: half on tablets, half on laptops. The children accessed five sites: Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Stardoll and YouTube; with over 80 per cent accessing Facebook.
It was found that 90 per cent of the ads viewed came from Facebook, with 98.4 per cent of all the ads complying with the CAP code.
UPDATED: A Facebook spokesperson said: "The ASA's report recognises that when advertisers use a service like Facebook they can be confident that their adverts are reaching the type of people they want to. It's particularly useful for brands who have products which are age-restricted. But when children lie about their age, that value and intention can be undermined. It's important for parents, schools, safety organisations – like Childnet and FOSI – and platforms like ours to encourage children not to do this. Simply put they will have a better experience if they don't lie. Technology can help to spot children who do, but there's no substitute for action by people who know the child in the real world. The ASA have highlighted an important issue and we are committed to continue to work with them, our clients and others to address this."