For the three biggest social media sites – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – the minimum age for sign up is 13 years old, a number already criticised as too low by some.
However a survey conducted by Comres for CBBC Newsround found that as many as 75 per cent of under thirteens disregard this rule.
Looking into the habits of 1,200 children between the ages of 10 and 18, they found that for the majority of the sample, social media played a massive role in their day-to-day lives; 96 per cent of them said they used social media sites and apps.
Of the pre teens within the sample, 78 per cent were members of at least one social networking site against their regulations.
The favourites among them were Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Whatsapp. Mark Zuckerberg’s invention took the lead with the under thirteens, as 49 per cent of them have a profile page on Facebook.
According to BullyingStatistics.org, a number of sources have pulled together data showing that as many a 77 per cent of students have claimed to be victims of some form of online bullying or another, with as many as 35 per cent of children saying they’ve been threatened.
It is being urged that everybody take actions to report accounts they suspect to be owned by underage children.
For more advice on keeping your kids safe online, please visit saferinternet.org.uk.