Social media are pretty popular among children. According to Common Sense, 2 out of 3 start using social media by the time they are 14. However, social media are not entirely safe for kids. That’s why major social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter require users to be 13 years old or older. Children’s desire for posting, liking, commenting, and sharing has propelled developers to make safe social media for kids. Whether you have a child under 13 who wishes to join kids’ social media or a child above 13 who uses regular social media, this article will tell you how to sustain your child’s safety on social media. 

In this article, we will give you a heads up about the safety risks of social media for kids of all ages, introduce five tailormade safe social media for kids, and instruct you how to use Safes parental control app to keep your child away from the health risks of too much social media. 

Risks of Social Media for Kids 

Social media risks do not just apply to children. Adults, too, are troubled by harassers, stalkers, cyberbullies, hackers, etc. However, children are more vulnerable to these risks because they usually don’t have the experience and knowledge to protect themselves. Therefore, as a parent, you need to educate yourself about the risks and try to help your child avoid them. 

In the following, read about different areas of social media that can threaten your child’s safety. 

Meeting Strangers 

On regular social media like Facebook, anyone can view your profile, send friend requests, and chat with you unless you change the privacy settings (read our article on how to make Facebook safe for your child). People with wrong intentions may target your child to abuse, groom, cyberbully, or send inappropriate content using these features. Hackers and phishers may also take their chances to steal your child’s personal information. 

Mature Content 

Most users on social media are adults; therefore, the content they share is mature. Part _if not most_ of the content your child sees may not be appropriate for their age. Social media platforms regulate the content users share. Therefore, it’s not likely your child sees pornography or extremely violent pictures and videos. However, your child might read or see distressing articles, news, and videos. They may also stumble upon false news and religious or political propaganda. 

Data & Content Sharing 

Some of the data that your child shares on social media, although it may not look like it, can put your child in danger. Some examples include emails, addresses, phone numbers, and account credentials. Also, your child might share content that jeopardises their or someone else’s character, such as pictures and videos of people in improper situations or with indecent clothing. 

Screen Time 

Children enjoy using social media. According to Common Sense, they spend 1:10 hours daily on social media. However, children have trouble managing their screen time _the time they spend using social media. Social media seem to engross children. If children’s screen time remains unmonitored, it can lead to screen addiction. 

5 Safe Social Media for Kids 

Children’s inclination to use social media resulted in the creation of social media specifically designed for kids. Parents and moderators monitor these platforms. They have fortified privacy and security options and appealing user interfaces for children. Most of these social media target children below 13 who cannot use regular platforms. However, teenagers may also use them. 

In the following, read about five of the most popular safe social media for kids. 

Grom Social 

On Grom Social, children can share text, pictures, and videos. A team of moderators weed out inappropriate content, including posts with strong or abusive language. To join the platform, children need their parents’ approval. Parents receive activity reports from Grom Social and can monitor their children using a companion app. Parents are the only adults who can view children’s posts on Grom Social. 

PopJam 

Besides sharing content, on PopJam, children can play games and create art. Children can only send messages to their contacts, who both follow each other. Children of different ages can join PopJam; however, those below 13 need a guardian’s approval. PopJam has special rules for posting. Children can only post between 6 am to 11 pm. They cannot post pictures that reveal other people’s information or identity. A team of moderators check children’s content 24/7. 

GoBubble 

GoBubble stands out among other safe social media for children because only schools can sign up school children with parental permission. GoBubble is an ad-free space for children to share content and help each other with their homework. Moderators check all content before being published. Moderators remove inappropriate texts, pictures, videos, audio, and even emojis. 

PlayKids Talk 

PlayKids Talk is a cartoonish ‘kid-friendly’ social media for younger children. This platform allows children to share content, read books, watch cartoons, and play games. Users on PlayKids Talk are age verified, meaning that adults cannot join this platform. Parents can monitor all the content their children share and manage every aspect of their profile, including authorising children’s access to the microphone and camera. 

Spotlite 

On top of letting children enjoy sharing content, Spotlite aims to teach children the etiquette of using social media. That’s why it often shows tips which invite children to be respectful, positive, and considerate. Children’s content on Spotlite is only shown to their contacts and is monitored by moderators. Contents need to be approved by parents beforehand. Children below 13 need their parent’s permission to join Spotlite. 

The Strategy to Make Social Media Safer for Children 

Your child can use regular social media platforms as they turn 13. However, they may not yet be ready to take care of their online safety on social media. For this reason, use the tips below to sustain your child’s safety on social media. 

Educate Yourself on the Digital World 

To be able to help your child protect themselves on social media, you need first to gain general knowledge about how they work. Research the safety risks of social media and the health risks of excessive screen time. In an article, we discussed the health risk of screen addiction for children and how to avoid them. 

Have an Open Talk with Your Child 

Talk to your child about the risks they’re exposed to on social media. Remind them not to share private data or improper pictures and videos. Ask them to report to you any time they receive suspicious messages. Warn them against links, files, and chat requests from strangers. 

Check the Privacy Settings 

Social media platforms do not have parental control settings. However, users can modify privacy settings to make social media more suitable for themselves. You can use these settings to limit who can view your child’s account, information, and content. You can specify the people who your child can interact with. 

Monitor Your Child’s Social Media Activity 

We suggest joining the social media that your child uses to monitor their activities. Add them as a friend or follower to see the content they share. If you don’t want or can’t join social media, at least review your child’s privacy settings to make sure everything is in place. 

Control Your Child’s Social Media Use 

According to OSF Healthcare, the safe limit for children’s screen time is 2 hours daily. If your child is overusing social media, you should stop them. You can use the Safes app to track how much time your child spends on social media and, if needed, limit or block them. 

How Can Safes Make Social Media Safer for Kids 

Safes is a parental control app with screen time monitoring features which can save your child from the health risks of excessive screen time and screen addiction. Using Safes, you can monitor, limit, or block the social media apps/websites that your child uses. Below, you have all the screen time features of Safes: 

• Screen Time Report 
• Screen Time Limit 
• Screen Time Schedule 
• Screen Time Profile 
• Geofence 
• Instant Block (Device Pause) 
• Bedtime Mode 
• App/Website Block 

In the following, we’ll briefly describe the screen time features in the list. 

Screen Time Features of Safe 

Safes send you daily, weekly, and monthly reports of what apps your child has used for how long. Using the reports you receive, you can tell if your child is overusing social media apps. Then you can set screen time limits on them. When your child reaches the daily limit, the apps will stop working. 

To make screen monitoring more straightforward for you, Safes offers you screen time schedules and profiles. Using these features, you can create tailored screen time plans for weekdays and special days of the calendar, such as holidays. You may want to let your child use social media apps longer on weekends and holidays. 

Using the geofence feature, you can create screen time limits for social media apps based on your child’s geographical location. For example, you can allow social media apps at home but not at school. 

Stop your child from using social media at the dinner table with the instant block feature. Using this feature, all apps on your child’s phone will stop working. Their phone will be unusable except for making calls and sending SMS. Similarly, you can use the bedtime mode to pause your child’s phone at a specific time at night. Your child won’t stay up using social media anymore. 

If you have a below 13 child whom you want to stop from accessing regular social media, you can block social media apps and websites on their devices. 

Concluding Safe Social Media for Kids 

Social media pose risks for children and adults alike. However, children are more vulnerable to these risks. For this reason, major social media platforms don’t let children below 18 use their services. Since children under 13 also like to use social media, safe social media for children have been introduced. However, children above 13 who use regular social media are still at risk. Using the strategies explained in this article, you can help your child keep themselves and their data safe on social media. Using Safes parental control app, you can protect your child’s health by stopping them from spending too much time on social media. 

If you wish to learn more about Safes’s screen time features explained in this article, read the features and pricing pages on our website.