Kids as young as 2 are being allowed to access social media - and it’s damaging their mental health

Parents could be damaging the mental health of their toddlers by allowing them to use social media as young as two years old, a charity has warned.

A new report from Barnardo's has raised concerns that viewing material on social media sites could be damaging to the social development of young children.

Mental health concerns

The children's charity gathered insight from 80 children's services practitioners who have worked with vulnerable young people in the past six months. Findings revealed that more than 60 per cent of these practitioners are worried about the use of social media sites among under fives.

Concerns were raised not only because of potential exposure to inappropriate content, but also the impact social media use may have on the communication skills of young children.

Staff at the charity expressed concern that parents were often handing over iPads and phones to their toddlers in order to "keep them quiet", but it has led to fears over their safety and mental wellbeing.

The report raised concerns social media use may harm the communication skills of young children (Photo: Shutterstock)