Despite the government’s strict norms that prohibit children under 13 from joining mobile sharing platforms, nearly 76 percent of children aged 7-13 years visit video-streaming website YouTube daily, a new Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (Assocham) survey found.

The early exposure to online media can lead to negative outcomes such as cyber bullying and online sexual abuse, the report said. YouTube requires account holders to be 18.

Despite these clearly stated and published age restrictions, a large number of children aged 7-13, especially in tier-I and tier-II cities are using social media with their parents’ consent, the survey found. Read more…