Nearly two in three of young Croatians surveyed by Unicef (61 percent) said that they had opened their profiles on social networks before they turned 13, Unicef said in a press release on Tuesday, warning that many youths carelessly leave their mobile phone numbers and pictures online.

Even though profiles on social networks are not formally allowed for children under the age of 13, about 5 percent of respondents said they opened their profile when they were aged 7-8, and 16 percent reported they already had one at age 9-10, Unicef said.

The survey polled 1,092 children and youths, and the results showed that children would often open accounts on social media at a very young age, and that they commonly submit their real mobile phone numbers and pictures online so that they can access free online content such as music or videos.

About 20 percent of the children surveyed said that they had noticed inappropriate ads for adults on social networks and websites, advertising pornography, as well as ads for alcohol, cigarettes,or gambling.

A significant number gave their mobile phone number (35 percent) or photographs (18 percent). The survey also showed that more than one-third of those surveyed (37 percent) didn’t know what the role of the so-called cookies was on social networks.

When it comes to so-called influencers, the majority of those surveyed (88 percent) said that influencers did not impact their purchases.

Unicef has issued recommendations for responsible digital marketing and advertising towards children, including the need to protect the personal data of children and young people, and to improve digital literacy among children and parents.

“Children must not be exposed to ads for food with high fat, sugar, and salt content or to ads for alcohol, tobacco, lotteries, medication, aesthetic operations, while influencer-promoted products on digital media always have to be advertised in a clear manner for children,” Unicef said.