More than 37% of children aged 10 years have a Facebook account while 24.3% have an Instagram account, according to a study commissioned by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
The survey of over 3400 schoolchildren between 10-17 years of age showed that 42.9% had a social media account. The minimum age to use both the platforms is 13 years.
The study said, Facebook at 36.8% and Instagram at 45.5% are the two most popular social media platforms among children and chatting was found to be the most popular means of communication.
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While 30.2% of the children of between the ages of 8 to 18 years, have their own smartphones, while 62.6% accessed the Internet through their parents’ phones.
The study said 94.8% children used smartphones for ‘Online learning and classes’, followed by messaging at 40%, referring study material at 31%, while music and games constituted 31.30% and 20.80% of total usage.
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