16 should be minimum age for social media use, parents and experts argue: '13 is too young'

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A Wall Street Journal columnist and mother suggested that parents should not allow their children to have social media until they are at least 16 years old.

"Yes, social media can be a vital source of connection for young people. But until some big study proves otherwise, the bad seems to outweigh the good for younger teens," Wall Street Journal columnist Julie Jargon wrote.

"The same science that tells us kids under 16 shouldn’t operate motor vehicles also suggests they should probably stay off TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat," Jargon said, citing scientific research that shows the brain's prefrontal cortex does not "fully develop until around age 25." 

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A Wall Street Journal columnist and mother suggested that parents should not allow their children to have social media until they are at least 16-years-old. (iStock)

But by 16, Massachusetts General Hospital psychiatrist Carl Marci told Jargon, "the prefrontal cortex begins to catch up."

Jargon also argued that just being 16 shouldn't mean complete freedom from parental guidance when using social media, either. 

"Being 16 doesn’t mean going fully free-range on social media, either; after all, we don’t put them on the road without driver’s ed and licenses." 

She suggested that parents have "ongoing conversations with their children about the content they see" and limit "kids’ social media during certain hours so it doesn’t interfere with their sleep and physical activity."

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Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, a Biden appointee, has also said that 13 is too young and risky an age for parents to allow their children to use social media. 

"Early adolescence is an especially risky time during a vulnerable stage of brain development," Murthy told The Wall Street Journal. 

"Kids are much more susceptible to peer pressure, opinions and comparison," he added. 

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, a Biden appointee, has also argued that 13 is too young and risky an age for parents to allow their children to use social media.  (Getty Images)

This is not the first time that Murthy, a Biden appointee, has spoken out against the use of social media in children 13 and younger. 

"I, personally, based on the data I’ve seen, believe that 13 is too early," Murthy said in February.

Murthy also said that many children have difficulty keeping up in the "skewed" environment of social media. 

"It’s a time when it’s really important for us to be thoughtful about what’s going into how they think about their own self-worth and their relationships — and the skewed and often distorted environment of social media often does a disservice to many of those children," he added. 

AGE 13 AND YOUNGER IS 'TOO EARLY' FOR KIDS TO BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, SURGEON GENERAL ADMITS

In Congress, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has pushed to raise the minimum age for social media use to 16.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

In Congress, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has pushed to raise the minimum age for social media use to 16. 

Hawley's bill, the Making Age-Verification Technology Uniform, Robust, and Effective Act (MATURE Act), would place a minimum age requirement of 16 years old for all social media users, preventing platforms from offering accounts to those who do not meet the age threshold.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Facebook, Instagram's parent company, TikTok and Snapchat for additional comment.  

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Fox News' Kayla Bailey and Shiv Sudhakar contributed to this report.