Reality Check: 8yo 'Selling Nudes', 13yo 'Looking for Sugar Daddies' on Social Media

Norwegian Teen Calls for Age Limits for Social Media--'news' from the front lines of the struggle for the future

Reference is made to a couple of recent postings on social media abuse:

The Unbearable Sadness of Online Dating

'The Science™' on Social Media Overuse Among Teens

Yesterday, I saw just another warning shot—courtesy of Norwegian state broadcaster NRK, which published an op-ed by a teenager ‘spilling the beans’.

Translation, emphases, and bottom lines mine.

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Lethargic Parents

By Kitty Theobald Gjerland (16), NRK, 3 March 2024 [source]

Your 13-year-old daughter may be looking for a ‘sugar daddy’ on social media. But you don't know that.

Dear parents, when was the last time you really checked your children’s cell phones?

Was it when they were 8-9 year olds who just tapped on colourful apps and laughed at funny filters? Or have you taken the time to explore your children’s digital world when they are 13 and older, when they are at the most vulnerable stage in their lives?

We are facing a digital reality that demands your attention and protection, especially on social media. We need to be given room to develop in a safe environment before we are exposed to the often merciless world of likes, comments and dangerous strangers [sure, no cell phones under age 18 would be a good start]

Predators use social media as a hunting ground

Although the current age limit on most social media is 13, this barrier appears fragile and insufficient. Therefore, as a 16-year-old myself, I request that a 16-year age limit be introduced on social media [hear, hear].

It is also important to have stricter regulation [this is naive as it will lead to bigger social media cartels only], which means that social media actually have to check the age of those who create profiles [also a slippery slope as this will then be applied to, say, the comment section of newspapers etc., which may not be a bad thing, if we had courts that upheld, rather than distort, the rule of law].

Social media has become an integral part of young people's lives. They have become our social playgrounds, our sources of news, and even our places of political engagement. But unfortunately there are no roses without thorns [no shit analysis; also, that how life always has been].

With the rise of cyberbullying and other unwanted content, it is high time to reconsider how we regulate access to these platforms.

Take ‘Pia’ as an example. She is 13 years old and an active user of Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and anything else that is trendy. Whenever she opens these apps, she is immediately greeted by a world filled with false ideals and harmful norms. Retouched images of models and influencers bombard her daily, creating a feeling of inadequacy and self-loathing [see the ‘studies’ I discussed in the second of the above-linked posts: social media is way, way, way worse on girls].

These platforms have normalised dangerous habits and beauty ideals that are harmful to everyone, but hit young people the hardest.

Norwegian children as young as 8 take nude pictures of themselves and sell them online.

‘Pia’ hears daily about ‘hourglass body’ and ‘keto diet’ from peers who have seen it on TikTok. It is deeply worrying that such topics of conversation are already common among children in seventh grade, creating a culture where body pressure and unhealthy ideals are part of everyday life at the age of just 13.

Is it any wonder that depression and anxiety among young people have doubled in the last decade?

But the problem doesn't stop there. Behind the screen lurk other, more hidden dangers. Older, manipulative individuals use fake profiles to exploit young girls and boys.

Predators use social media as a hunting ground and unfortunately it is all too easy for them to connect with vulnerable children.

Norwegian children, as young as eight, take nude pictures of themselves and sell them online, while girls from 13 to 16 actively look for ‘sugar daddies’. Such incidents are becoming more common with each passing day. And there is no doubt that the older you are, the better equipped you are to cope with it [hence, age limits, like with alcohol, guns, and driving].

You adults are unfortunately far too naive when it comes to technology's influence on me and others my age. It's time to be honest with yourselves—how many of you really know what your kids are up to on social media?

Behind the screen lurk other, more hidden dangers

So dear adults, both parents and politicians, it is your responsibility to protect us, but unfortunately this is something only a few of you manage to do. By introducing an age limit of 16, we young people can have the time we need to develop critical thinking.

Then we can more safely navigate our way through today's digital reality. Whether it is with or without their help.

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The op-ed writer is the party chair of Arendal and Grimstad Unge Høyre [Young Conservatives], but writes here only on behalf of himself.

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Bottom Lines

Protect your children.

No children, no future.

Even if you don’t agree with that ‘conservative’ teen’s plea for ideological reasons, this is a cause worth fighting for.

Spread the word!