HIGH POINT, N.C. — Most social media platforms allow users to join at age 13, but some think that is too young.

According to the Pew Research Center, 95% of those age 13 and up have a smartphone, and 97% of teens say they use the internet daily.

This is not uncommon news to Melanie Carrino. Carrino is a Child Advocacy Center coordinator for Family Services Piedmont, and she says a lot of the children she sees mention being on social media. 

“Kiddos come in here and talk about dance trends that they see on TikTok specifically, and they'll talk about how fun it is to learn those dances,” Carrino said. 

Based on the same study from Pew Research, 61% of those age 13 and 14 say they use TikTok, and 51% say they use Snapchat. Carrino thinks this age is too young.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said kids are developing their sense of identity at age 13, and social media can affect that.

“The skewed and often distorted environment of social media often does a disservice to many of those children,” Murthy said. 

Carrino said more children have been bullied on the internet since 2021. 

“We do have some kids come in that talk about their self image and some body issues that they've experienced because of social media, as well as a lot of cyber bullying,” Carrino said. 

She also mentioned that they have cases where children come in because of inappropriate behaviors on social media from other people.

Carrino encourages parents and guardians to have an open line of communication with their children so that they feel comfortable sharing problems that stem from social media. 

Carrino says it's important for children ages 13 and younger to have at least three adults they can talk to. It can be anyone from a teacher, parent or older sibling.