Social media sites have changed the rules for minors. What does the law say? And what are the benefits and dangers of social media to kids?

The words social media conjure up a variety of thoughts and feelings depending on who is asked. On the positive end, some may say social media allows them to stay connected with family and friends who live far away and participate in online communities not available near by. On the negative end, others may share tales of critical and hurtful comments or encountering objectionable content. Wherever you stand on social media and its place in society, children live a different existence online, and some legal changes that went into effect recently may alter young people’s access to and use of social media sites.

First, let’s agree on what social media is. 

According to Investopedia, social media refers to a variety of technologies that facilitate the sharing of ideas and information among their users. The sites typically feature user-generated content that lends itself to engagement via likes, shares, comments, and discussion. Some popular social media sites include Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Youtube. (More on those later.)

In the state of Florida, as of January 1st, 2025, CBS News reports the minimum age to create an account is now 16. However, 15 year olds may either keep or start one with parental or guardian permission. Additionally, the law requires the sites to essentially terminate the accounts of existing minors. There are lawsuits currently filed that are challenging the law’s constitutionality. 

Of course kids can lie and set their birthdate on the log-in site as “16,” but then when their reported birthday turns 18 the companies are free to sell their data. As someone said, data mining is the new oil.

What follows is an exploration of social media habits of kids, some of the potential dangers and benefits kids face while on the sites, and finally, some popular sites many children spend time on.

Amount of time kids spend on social media

The numbers, frankly, are frightening! According to a Gallup survey, time spent on social media sites breaks down like this: 

4.1 hours per day for 13-year-olds and 5.8 hours per day for 17-year-olds. Girls tend to spend an hour more per day than boys on social media. Youtube and TikTok are the most popular sites along with Instagram. 

These are averages, meaning some kids are spending much higher amounts of time on these sites than these numbers!

Do the math for a high school student: 7 hours in school + 8 hours (allegedly) sleeping + 6 hours on social media = 21 hours. That leaves 3 hours for homework, chores, part-time job, sports or other extracurricular activities. A huge complication is 31% of time spent on social media stems from what the researchers describe as “self-control problems.” Think of the Executive Function skill of emotion regulation! Many kids simply are failing at controlling their time on these sites.

Kids need guidance and coaching using the Internet and learning how to be good digital citizens. Common Sense Media reports: “If a caregiver is involved in a teen’s digital life, preps them for how to handle negative online situations, talks about protecting privacy and being kind, it can go a long way toward a more positive social media experience.”

Dangers of social media for kids

One cannot overstate the potential danger that exists in the online world. Seemingly all of the world’s children have retreated in to this realm, yet there is barely any oversight or protections built in. The social media media and tech companies are attempting to keep people online as long as possible through intricate algorithms. 

For children in particular, some dangers include:

Inappropriate content such as nudity, self-harm, and violence.

Cyberbullying, whichcan run rampant with no real enforcement or punishment. People are emboldened to write aggressive and hurtful things they may never utter in face-to-face situations.

Poor mental health such as depression and anxiety have been linked to excessive – more than 3 hours per day – social media use in teens. Paradoxically, the sites purport to connect and create community, but teens report loneliness as another negative side effect.

Risky behavior where kids may be tempted to send explicit texts, photos or videos thinking they are private.

Exposing their location if privacy settings are not correctly set, a child’s physical location can be found by individuals with bad intentions.

Positives of social media participation

Of course like most cases, there are two sides to each story. When used properly social media certainly can offer some benefits to children. The National Institutes for Health (NIH) states the positives can include:

Community Sites can provide positive community and connection with others who share identities, abilities, and interests, especially those traditionally marginalized groups.

Access to information Provides an entry to learning about topics of interest and a vast amount of information about those issues.

Self-expression Kids can post thoughts, art, videos to share with their community of friends.

Form and maintain social connections While it is not always possible for friends to spend time together, these sites provide the means to maintain friendships and updates.

Popular social media sites by age group 

Some parents may be well-versed on social media. For those that are not, here is a thumbnail sketch of some of the popular sites by age group:

Elementary age students

Zigazoo bills itself as the largest social media site for kids. It features moderation by humans – as opposed to an algorithm, positive and empowering content and a mission to provide youth with a safe and positive community.

Kinzoo Messenger is an app designed “for connection, creativity, and curiosity.” They purport to design the platform for connection, not to hook or keep kids on the app for extended periods of time.

Playkids + is focused on holistic development of kids. The platform promotes three areas of learning: interpersonal, where kids focus on respect and interacting in an appropriate manner; intrapersonal, in which kids learn about themselves, their feelings and emotions; and cognitive, where children learn how the world works.

Middle school age students

Girl2Girl Wall is a starter social media app for tween and teen girls ages 8-16. Like some of the other recommended apps the user-generated content is moderated by a human being. Content and conversations tend to revolve around young girl interests such as boys, make up, and cliques.

Lego Life is designed for Lego lovers, where they can share their creations and discover others’ designs. Lego offers themed challenges and contests with prizes! And like the others on here it is moderated.

Tik Tok for Kids is from the same popular app but is designed for kids 13 and under. Among some of the safety features is TikTok allegedly limits the amount of information gathered from these users. Of course it features videos of everything under the sun!

High school age students

Instagram is one of the more popular social media sites for teens and adults. Users can share photos and videos with their network, which others can like and or comment on. Content creators have access to editing tools such as filters and stickers to add creativity to their posts.

X (formerly Twitter) is a wildly popular site for people to share bite-sized thoughts, known as tweets, pictures, and videos. Like these other sites users can follow other members, like and comment on the posts. While there is monitoring by X, this is an adult site with language and videos featuring mature subjects. There are no parental controls, but there are privacy and safety settings that can help manage younger users’ feeds.

Tik Tok features short videos that people can share, comment on, and like. The app’s algorithm analyzes the users engagement and develops a personalized feed. Humor, dancing, and even educational content is featured.

Youtube is wildly popular among all age groups, which features a wide range of content from instructional videos to musical performances to comedy skits to television shows that are user created. 

Final thoughts

Social media is a relatively new construct that both kids and adults have taken to. At their best they offer connection, community, support, validation, and an outlet for expression. At their worst they hook people for hours, torpedo mental health, and allow some of the Internets nastiest residents to lurk. Governments have begun to address some concerns for children and these sites by limiting the age of access. Time will tell whether these age-based interventions will work.

The numbers don’t lie – kids are spending an enormous amount of time scrolling through the sites. Therefore, parents need a healthy understanding of how these site work, and it is critical parents and guardians guide children in best practices using social media sites. If your child struggles with self-control and spends hours on social media sites and or surfing the Internet, contact Jennifer Disch at Engage the Brain to learn how an Executive Functions coach could help guide your child to make better choices with time management and control their emotion regulation.