More than 800,000 young children seeing social media content ‘designed to hook adults’, figures show

Children As Young As Three Using Social Media Designed for Adults, Former Minister Warns

Tuesday 2 December 2025 — 09:10 (UK)
By Sky News

Children as young as three years old are being exposed to social media platforms built for adult users, a former education secretary has warned, calling the trend “deeply alarming.”

Lord John Nash, who served as minister for the school system from 2013 to 2017, said parents should be concerned by new findings from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) suggesting more than 800,000 UK children aged three to five are already active on social media.

The CSJ’s estimate applies Ofcom’s latest research to current population figures, indicating that nearly four in ten parents report their young child uses at least one social media app or website. With around 2.2 million children in this age group in 2024, the think tank calculates 814,000 three- to five-year-olds could now be social media users — an increase of about 220,000 in just one year.

Lord Nash said children who “haven’t yet learned to read” are being targeted with content and algorithms designed for adults, adding:

“This should concern us all.”

He called for a major public health campaign to warn parents of the potential harm, and for new laws to raise the minimum social media age to 16, with tougher accountability for tech companies that fail to keep young children off their platforms.

Australia Moves Ahead With Under-16 Ban

Lord Nash is among several UK figures supporting the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which would prohibit anyone under 16 from using social media — mirroring legislation coming into force in Australia next month.

From 10 December, social media companies in Australia must take “reasonable steps” to block under-16s from opening accounts on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. The policy is intended to protect children from harmful content and online predators.

But the new rule is facing legal challenge: 15-year-old Noah Jones is suing the Australian government, arguing the ban could make the internet more dangerous as young users attempt to bypass restrictions.

“I most likely will get around the ban,” he said. “I know a lot of my mates will.”

Growing Concerns Over Mobile Use in UK Schools

In the UK, campaigners are calling for stricter rules on mobile phones in schools. Although schools already have the authority to ban them, the CSJ wants to see smartphones prohibited entirely to break what it describes as the “24-hour cycle” of phone dependency.

The think tank is also urging a public health campaign to highlight the harms of social media, especially for young children.

Last week, Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed concern about the impact of endless scrolling on developing brains, saying he worries about “the mind-numbing impact of doomscrolling on young minds and our neurodevelopment.”