Study Finds Many ‘iPad Kids’ on X

New data from Qustodio reveals that a significant portion of Generation Alpha children, aged 7 to 9, are using X (formerly Twitter), with over 30% having accounts and 44% owning tablets for app and game access, according to a report released on Monday

X lacks significant content that would appeal to younger users, as the platform primarily emphasises politics and breaking news.

Additionally, there is significant misinformation on the platform under Elon Musk’s leadership. It also prominently showcases Musk’s personal political beliefs, which include his endorsement of Trump.

Nevertheless, Qustodio hypothesises that X may be capturing this youth demographic’s attention due to its indue tuition with Google Search, which features X posts directly in the search results.

Qustodio informed TechCrunch that it believes children’s use of X is primarily motivated by curiosity.

It is anticipated that a significant number of children discovered X by conducting a Google search for a topic of interest and subsequently viewing X posts included in the search results, which included discussions of the subject matter.

In contrast, parents frequently regard X as an “older” application, so they may not consider blocking or restricting it as they do with other social media applications such as TikTok or Snapchat.

Regrettably, children’s exposure to objectionable content may result from parents’ ignorance. The report pointed to reports that suggest that 13% of all X posts contain explicit content, indicating that X could potentially expose these younger children to hate speech, pornography, and disinformation.

The data from Qustodio is particularly intriguing because it is derived from an analysis of the real-world app usage of children rather than surveys.

The company operates a parental control software service that provides a comprehensive understanding of the apps and games children use most frequently, the ones likely to block, and the apps that are most popular among specific age groups.

The company discovered that access to social media commences early in its most recent report, which is based on anonymous utilisation data from approximately 180,000 families with children.

The percentage of 7- to 9-year-olds who possess X is 31%. Additionally, 28% are on Reddit, while 26% are on Facebook.

In an announcement detailing the report’s findings, Yasmin London, global online safety expert for Qoria, Qustodio’s parent company, stated that children as young as 7 to 9 years of age are gaining access to apps like X and Reddit because their parents either are unaware of their existence or fail to block them due to their lack of popularity.

Even though both platforms could potentially expose children to explicit content such as hate speech, pornography, and disinformation.

In addition, the report discovered that 42% of children in the United States owned a smartphone by the age of 10. Also, 40% of children began using the TikTok app for an average of 121 minutes per day at the age of 10, equivalent to approximately 240 videos, assuming an average video length of 30 seconds.

Roblox and YouTube were the most popular applications among children aged 10 to 12, with 62% and 59% using them, respectively. However, X usage increased to 41% in this age group, while Reddit usage increased to 39% and Facebook reached 36%.

Roblox’s popularity among 13- to 15-year-olds begins to decline as they transition to adolescence, with a usage rate of 52%. In contrast, Spotify (66%), YouTube (62%), and Amazon Shopping (56%) become the three most popular applications. TikTok is utilised by 47% of this demographic, with an average daily usage of 127 minutes.

Snapchat is also gaining popularity, with 38% of adolescents utilising the application for an average of 94 minutes daily. This demographic also utilises social applications such as X and Reddit, with 44% of the populace utilising each, while Facebook is utilised by 42%.

Spotify (69%), YouTube (60%), and Amazon (52%) remain the top three applications for young Gen Z members aged 16 to 18. Additionally, 42% utilise TikTok for an average of 108 minutes daily, with 72 minutes per day allocated to Instagram.

Additionally, 40% and 39% of this demographic utilise Snapchat and Discord, the most prevalent communication applications. X and Reddit are also utilised by 40% of these adolescents; however, Facebook has now surpassed them at 43%, marginally surpassing TikTok.

Naturally, these percentages may be even higher in the real world, where parents are not utilising any form of app barring or screen time software to regulate app usage, as this data is sourced from a parent control software manufacturer.

In addition, Qustodio suggested that the increased usage of platforms such as X, Reddit, and Facebook may mean that parents are not as concerned with blocking these applications as they are with others.

After contacting X for comment, we discovered that the organisation no longer maintains a communications team under Musk’s leadership.