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Opinion: Social Media Is Destroying Children — Age Verification Must Be Mandatory Now

Opinion · July 12, 2026 · Naomi Clarke · 8 min

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Children as young as 8 are on Instagram and TikTok, exposed to harmful content and algorithms. Self-regulation has failed — we need mandatory age verification.

Social media is destroying children. Studies show that social media use is linked to depression, anxiety, body image issues, eating disorders, and self-harm in teenagers, with girls particularly affected. Yet 50% of 10-year-olds and 72% of 12-year-olds use social media, despite platforms having a 13+ age limit. Why? Because age verification is a joke — platforms just ask for your date of birth, and children lie. Self-regulation has failed. Tech companies prioritise growth over child safety, and they will not fix the problem voluntarily. It is time for the government to mandate strict age verification — using government ID, biometric checks, or credit card verification — to keep children off social media until they are old enough to handle it. The evidence is overwhelming, the harm is real, and the time for action is now.

The Evidence: Social Media Harms Children

1. Mental health crisis

Teenage mental health has collapsed since social media became ubiquitous (2010–2015):

• Depression in teenage girls has doubled (from 12% in 2010 to 24% in 2023)
• Anxiety in teenage girls has risen 50% (from 20% in 2010 to 30% in 2023)
• Self-harm in teenage girls has tripled (from 5% in 2010 to 15% in 2023)
• Suicide in teenage girls has risen 70% (from 2010 to 2023)

Boys are affected too, but girls are hit harder because social media is more focused on appearance, popularity, and comparison.

2. Body image and eating disorders

Social media (especially Instagram and TikTok) is toxic for body image:

• Filters and editing create unrealistic beauty standards (perfect skin, tiny waist, big lips)
• Influencers promote diets, cosmetic surgery, and unattainable lifestyles
• Algorithms push content that makes users feel inadequate (if you watch one fitness video, you get 100 more)

Eating disorders in teenage girls have doubled since 2015, and social media is a major driver.

3. Addiction

Social media is designed to be addictive:

• Infinite scroll — you never reach the end, so you keep scrolling
• Notifications — constant pings trigger dopamine hits
• Likes and comments — social validation is addictive
• FOMO (fear of missing out) — you feel anxious if you are not online

Teenagers spend an average of 4.5 hours per day on social media (up from 2 hours in 2015). This is time not spent on homework, exercise, sleep, or face-to-face interaction.

4. Harmful content

Social media exposes children to:

• Pornography — easily accessible, often violent and degrading
• Self-harm content — images and videos of cutting, suicide methods
• Pro-anorexia content — "thinspiration" images and tips for starving yourself
• Bullying — cyberbullying is relentless and inescapable
• Radicalisation — extremist content (far-right, Islamist, incel)

Algorithms amplify harmful content because it is engaging (shocking, emotional, controversial). Platforms prioritise engagement over safety.

5. Sleep deprivation

Teenagers stay up late scrolling, leading to sleep deprivation, which causes:

• Poor academic performance
• Mood swings and irritability
• Weakened immune system
• Increased risk of depression and anxiety

The Current System: Self-Regulation Has Failed

Social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook) have a 13+ age limit, but enforcement is a joke:

• Platforms just ask for your date of birth when you sign up
• Children lie (enter a fake birth year)
• Platforms do nothing to verify (no ID check, no parental consent)

Why? Because platforms want children on their platforms. Children are:

• Lucrative — they spend hours on social media, generating ad revenue
• Impressionable — they are easier to influence with ads and trends
• Future users — hooking them young creates lifelong customers

Platforms claim they are doing their best to keep children off, but this is a lie. They could implement strict age verification (government ID, biometric checks, credit card verification) but choose not to because it would reduce user numbers and revenue.

The Online Safety Act 2023: Not Enough

The UK's Online Safety Act 2023 requires platforms to:

• Verify the age of users
• Protect children from harmful content
• Remove illegal content (child abuse, terrorism, self-harm)

But the Act has a fatal flaw: it does not mandate how platforms must verify ages. Platforms can continue using self-regulation (just asking for date of birth), which is useless.

The government refused to mandate age verification because:

• Tech companies lobbied against it (claiming it would invade privacy and be technically difficult)
• The government feared backlash (from civil liberties groups and tech industry)

The result is a toothless law that will not protect children.

The Solution: Mandatory Age Verification

The government must mandate strict age verification for social media, using one or more of the following methods:

1. Government ID

Users must upload a photo of their passport, driving licence, or national ID card to prove they are 13+ (or 16+).

Pros: Accurate, difficult to fake

Cons: Privacy concerns (platforms would have access to government ID), but platforms already collect vast amounts of data, so this is not a new risk

2. Biometric checks

Users must take a selfie or video that is analysed by AI to estimate their age (face scanning, voice analysis).

Pros: Fast, no need to upload ID

Cons: Not 100% accurate (AI can be fooled), privacy concerns (biometric data is sensitive)

3. Credit card verification

Users must enter a credit card to prove they are 18+ (credit cards are only issued to adults).

Pros: Simple, no need to upload ID

Cons: Only works for 18+ (not 13+), excludes people without credit cards

4. Parental consent

Users under 16 must get parental consent to use social media (parent verifies their own age using ID or credit card, then approves child's account).

Pros: Gives parents control

Cons: Easy to bypass (children can use parent's account or fake consent)

The best approach: Combine methods (e.g., government ID or biometric checks for 13–15, credit card for 16+, parental consent as backup).

The Objections

1. "Age verification invades privacy"

This is a red herring. Social media companies already collect vast amounts of data (location, browsing history, purchases, messages, photos, videos). They track everything you do and sell it to advertisers.

Age verification (using government ID or biometric checks) would be less invasive than current surveillance. The privacy argument is used by tech companies to avoid regulation, not to protect users.

2. "Kids will just lie or use VPNs"

Yes, some will. But mandatory age verification would block most children, which is better than the current free-for-all.

No system is perfect, but we do not abandon laws just because some people break them. We regulate alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and driving, even though some minors break the rules.

3. "Parents should just supervise their children better"

Yes, but that is not enough. Social media is designed to be addictive, and even vigilant parents struggle to control it. Platforms deliberately hook children with infinite scroll, notifications, and likes.

We do not tell parents to "just supervise better" when it comes to alcohol, tobacco, or gambling. We regulate those industries to protect children. Social media should be no different.

4. "It's technically difficult"

No, it is not. Pornography websites already use age verification (credit card checks, ID uploads). Online gambling sites use age verification. Social media companies have the technology and resources to implement it — they just do not want to.

5. "It will harm free speech"

No, it will not. Age verification does not censor content — it just restricts access to children. Adults can still use social media freely.

What Other Countries Are Doing

Australia

Australia is introducing mandatory age verification for social media, requiring users to be 16+. The system will use government ID or biometric checks, and platforms that fail to comply will face fines up to $50 million.

This is the gold standard — strict, enforceable, and designed to protect children.

France

France requires parental consent for children under 15 to use social media. Parents must verify their own age using ID or credit card, then approve their child's account.

USA

Some US states (Utah, Arkansas) have introduced parental consent laws for children under 18. But enforcement is weak, and tech companies are challenging the laws in court.

UK

The UK has the Online Safety Act 2023, but it does not mandate age verification methods, so platforms can continue self-regulation. The UK is falling behind Australia and France.

The Bottom Line