Social Media Child Safety E-PDF

SOCIALMEDIA SOCIALMEDIA

Whatparentsandcarersneedtoknowabout

INSTAGRAM

AgeRating:

Instagramisoneofthemostpopularsocialmediaplatformsintheworld,withover1billionusersworldwide.Theplatform allowsuserstouploadimagesandvideostotheirfeed,createinteractive‘stories’,sharelivevideos,exchangeprivate messagesorsearch,exploreandfollowotheraccountstheylike-whilstatthesametimecontinuouslyupdating,and addingnewfeaturestomeettheneedofitsusers.

ADDICTION

Manysocialmediaplatformsaredesignedinawaytokeepus engagedonthemforaslongaspossible.Theresadesiretoscroll often/moreincasewe’vemissedsomethingimportantorafearof missingoutInstagramisnodifferentandyoungpeoplecaneasily losetrackoftimebyaimlesslyscrollingandwatchingvideosposted byfriends,acquaintances,influencersorevenstrangers.

PRODUCTTAGGING

Producttagsallowusers(particularlyinfluencerswhoaresponsored toadvertiseproducts)totagaproductorbusinessintheirposts Theirtagtakesviewers,regardlessoftheirage,directlytothe productdetailpageontheshopwheretheitemcanbepurchased andwherechildrenmaybeencouragedbyinfluencerstopurchase productstheydon’tnecessarilyneed

EXCLUSION

YoungpeoplearehighlysensitivetoostracismFeelingexcluded cancomeinmanyformssuchas:notreceivingmany‘likes’,not beingtagged,beingunfriended,havingaphotountagged,ornot receivingacommentorreplytoamessageBeingexcluded onlinehurtsjustasmuchasbeingexcludedoffline-withchildren potentiallysufferinglowmoods,lowerself-esteem,feelingasif theydon’tbeloworundervalued

GOINGLIVE

LivestreamingonInstagramallowsuserstoconnectwithfriendsand followersinreal-timeandcommentonvideosduringbroadcastRisks increaseiftheaccountispublicbecauseanyonecanwatchand commentontheirvideos,includingstrangersHowever,otherrisks includeactinginwaystheywouldntnormallyorbeingexposedto inappropriatecontentoroffensivelanguage Influencerscanbepaidthousandsofpoundstopromotea product,service,appandmuchmoreonsocialmedia-the postscanoftenbeidentifiedbecausetheystatetheyrea ‘paidpartnership’.Ofcomfoundthatyoungpeopleoften attempttocopy-catinfluencerbehaviourfortheirown poststogainlikes,sometimespostingcontentwhichmay notbeage-appropriate

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

INFLUENCERCULTURE

Producttaggingon Instagramonlyworks onpublicaccounts.If yourchildwantsto sharetheirclothing style,make-upetc andtagitemsina postthentheymay betemptedtochange theirsettingsto public,whichcan leavetheirprofile visibletostrangers.

UNREALISTICIDEALS

Childrencomparethemselvestowhattheyseeonlinein termsofhowtheylook,dress,theirbodyshape,orthe expeirencesotherarehavingTheconstantscrolling comparisonofunrealisticidealscanleadtochildren feelinginsecureabouttheirownappearance,questioning howexcitingtheirownlivesareandhavinghavingafearof missingout.

ADVICEFORPARENTSANDCARERS

OPENDIALOGUE

Talktoyourchildaboutlivevideostherisksinvolvedand howtheycandoitsafelywithfamilyandfriendsTalkto themaboutensuringtheyhavesafetysettingsonsoonly followerscanviewthemlive,andmaybehelpthemprepare whattheywouldsaywhentheydogolive

FAMILIARISEYOURSELF

Instagramisonesocialmediaappwhichhasitssafety featuresavailabletoparentsinauser-friendlymanner. Thedocumentprovidesexamplesofconversationstarters, managingprivacy,managingcomments,blockingand restrictingwebsite>community>parents.

MANAGELIKECOUNTS

REMOVEPAYMENT

Ifyourehappyforyourchildtohaveacardassociated withtheirInstagramaccount,wesuggestaddingaPIN whichneedstobeenteredbeforemakingapaymentThis canbeaddedinthepaymentsettingstabandwillalso helppreventunauthorisedpurchases.

FOLLOWINFLUENCERS

Followinginfluencerswillallowyoutomonitorwhat they’resharingaswellasbeingabletodiscussanything whichyoudeeminappropriateTalktoyourchildabout whotheyfollowandhelpthemdevelopcriticalthinking skillsaboutwhattheinfluenceristryingtodoFor examplearetheytryingtosellaproductbypromotingit?

Duetotheimpactonmentalwellbeing,Instagramhasalloweduserstochangethe focusoftheirexperiencesonlineawayfromhowmanylikesaposthasbyhidingthe likecountsontheirownposts.Thismeansotherscan’tseehowmanylikesyouget. Thiscanbedonebygoingintosettings>notifications>posts>likes>off

USEMODERATORS

Instagramhaslaunched‘livemoderators’onInstagramLive wherecreatorscanassignamoderatorandgivethemthe powertoreportcomments,removeviewersandturnoff commentsforaviewerIt’srecommendedtokeepdevicesin commonspacessothatyouareawareiftheydogoliveor watchlivestreaming

BEVIGILANT

TalktoyourchildabouttheuseoffiltersWhiletheycanbefun tousetheydon’trepresenttherealthemIfyoufindyourchild continuouslyusingafilter,askthemwhyandreassurethem thattheyarebeautifulwithoutittobuilduptheirfeelingsofselfworthDiscussthefactthatmanyimagesonlinearefilteredand noteveryonelookspictureperfectinreallife,whichcanalso lenditselftodiscussingwhatisrealandnotrealonline

BALANCEYOURTIME

Instagramnowhasanin-builtactivitydashboardthatallowsuserstomonitorandcontrolhowmuchtime theyspendontheapp.Userscanaddadailyremindertosetalimitonhowmuchtimetheywanttospend onInstagrampromptingthemtoconsiderifit'sbeentoolongwithatakeabreakmessageTheresalso theoptiontomutenotificationsforaperiodoftimeThesefeaturescanhelpyouhaveaconversationwith yourchildabouthowmuchtimetheyarespendingontheappandtosethealthytimelimits

SNAPCHAT

AgeRating:

13+

Snapchatisaphotoandvideo-sharingappwhichalsoallowsuserstochatwithfriendsviatextoraudio.Userscanshareimagesand videoswithspecificfriends,orthrougha‘story’(documentingtheprevious24hours)visibletotheirentirefriendlist Snapchatusage roseduringthepandemic,withmanyyoungpeopleutilisingittoconnectwiththeirpeers.Theappcontinuestodevelopfeaturesto engageanevenlargeraudienceandemulatecurrenttrends,rivallingplatformssuchasTikTokandInstagram

CONNECTINGWITHSTRANGERS

Evenifyourchildonlyconnectsontheappwithpeopletheyknow,theymaystill receivefriendrequestsfromstrangersSnapchatlinkswithappssuchasWinkand Hoophaveincreasedthispossibility Acceptingarequestmeansthatchildrenare disclosingpersonalinformationthroughtheStorySnapMapandSpotlightfeatures. Thiscouldallowpredatorstogaintheirtrustforsinisterpurposes

EXCESSIVEUSE

Therearemanyfeaturesthatareattractivetousersandkeepthemexcitedaboutthe appSnapstreaksencourageuserstosendsnapsdaily,SpotlightChallengegive usersthechancetoobtainmoneyandonlinefameandtheSpotlightfeature’sscroll ofvideosmakesiteasyforchildrentospendhourswatchingcontent

INAPPROPRIATECONTENT

SomevideosandpostsonSnapchatarenotsuitableforchildrenThehashtagsused togroupcontentaredeterminedbytheposter,soaninnocentsearchtermcouldstill yieldage-inappropriateresultsTheapp’sDiscoverfunctionletsusersswipethrough snippetsofnewsstoriesandtrendingarticlesthatoftenincludeadultcontentThere iscurrentlynowaytoturnoffthisfeature

SEXTING

SextingcontinuestobeariskassociatedwithSnapchatTheapp'sdisappearing messagesfeaturemakesiteasyforyoungpeople(teensinparticular)toshareexplicit imagesonimpulseWhilethesepicturesdodisappear-andthesenderisnotifiedifithas beenscreenshottedfirst-usershavefoundalternativemethodst takingpictureswithseparatedevices

DAMAGETOCONFIDENCE

Snapchatsfilterandlensesareapopularwayforuserstoenh Althoughmanyaredesignedtoentertainoramuse,the‘beaut setunrealisticbodyimageexpectationsandcreatefeelingsof ComparingthemselvesunfavourablyagainstotherSnapchat child’sconfidenceor senseofself-worth

VISIBLELOCATION

MyPlacesletsuserscheckinandsearchforpopularspotsnearby-suchas restaurants,parksorshoppingcentres-andrecommendthemtotheirfriends Thepotentialissuewithayoungpersonconsistentlycheckingintolocationson Snapchatisthatitallowsotherusersintheirfriendslist(evenpeopletheyhave metonline)toseewheretheycurrentlyareandwheretheyregularlygo

ADVICEFORPARENTSANDCARERS

TURNOFFQUICKADD

TheQuickAddfunctionhelpspeoplefindeachotheron theapp Thisfunctionworksbasedonmutualfriendsor whethersomeone’snumberisinyourchild’scontactlist.Explain toyourchildthatthisfeaturecouldpotentiallymaketheirprofile visibletostrangers Werecommendthatyourchildturnsoff QuickAdd,whichcanbedoneinsettings

CHATABOUTCONTENT

Talktoyourchildaboutwhatisandisn’twisetoshareon Snapchat(e.g.don’tpostexplicitimagesorvideosordisplay identifiabledetailsliketheirschooluniform).Remindthemthatonce somethingisonlinethecreatorlosescontroloverwhereitmightend up-andwhowith.Additionally,Snapchat’s‘Spotlight’featurehasa #challengelikeTikTok’:it’svitalthatyourchildunderstandsthe potentiallyharmfulconsequencesoftakingpartinthesechallenges.

TALKABOUTSEXTING

Itmayfeellikeanawkwardconversation(andonethatyoungpeoplecanbereluctantto have)butitisimportanttotalkopenlyandnon-judgementallyaboutsexting.Discussthe legalimplicationsofsending,receivingorsharingexplicitimages,aswellasthepossible emotionalimpact Emphasisethatyourchildshouldneverfeelpressuredintosexting-and thatiftheyreceiveunwantedexplicitimages,theshouldalwaystellatrustedadultstraight away.

BEREADYTOBLOCKANDREPORT

IfastrangerdoesconnectwithyourchildonSnapchatandbeginstomakethemfeel uncomfortablethroughbullying,pressuretosendexplicitimagesorbysendingexplicitimages tothem,yourchildcanselectthethreedotsonthatperson’sprofileandchoosetoreportand/or blockThereareoptionstostatewhytheyarereportingthatuser(annoyingormalicious messages,spam,ormasqueradingassomeoneelse,forexample.)

Whatparentsandcarersneedtoknowabout

TIKTOK

AgeRating:

TikTokisavideo-sharingsocialmediaappwhichletspeoplecreate,viewanddownloadloopingclips.Typically,thesearevideosof userslip-syncinganddancingtopopularsongsorsoundbites(oftenforcomicpurposes),enhancedwithfilters,effectsandtext.

Designedwithyoungpeopleinmind,TikTokskyrocketedinpopularityin2019andhasfeaturednearthetopofdownloadchartsever sinceItnowhasaroundabillionusersworldwide

AGE-INAPPROPRIATECONTENT EXPLICITSONGS

Mostvideosappearingonachild’sfeedarelight-heartedandamusingHowever, someclipshavebeenreportedforfeaturingdrugandalcoholabuse,themesof suicideandself-harm,oryoungteensactinginasexuallysuggestivewayThesheer volumeofuploadsisimpossibletomoderateentirely-andsinceTikTokJump’s introductioninmid-2021,userscanviewthird-partycontentoutsidetheapp

W&#!

TikTokprimarilyrevolvesaroundvideosofuserslip-syncinganddancingtomusic Inevitably,somefeaturedsongswillcontainexplicitorsuggestivelyricsGiventhe app’syounguser-basethereisariskthatchildrenmayviewolderusers’videosand thenbeinclinedtoimitateanyexplicitlanguageorsuggestiveactions

TikTokFAME

Theapphascreateditsowncelebrities:CharlieDAmelioandLilGasX,forexample, werecatapultedtofamebyexposureonTikTok-leadingtomanymoreteens attemptingtogoviralandbecome“TikTokFamous” Whilemostaspiringstars hopingtobethenextbigthingwillfinditdifficult,setbacksmayinturnpromptthem togotoevenmoredrasticlengthstogetnoticed

HAZARDOUSVISIBILITY ADDICTIVENATURE

ConnectingwithothersissimpleonTikTok-includingcommentingonandreactingto usersvideos,followingtheirprofilesanddownloadingtheircontentThemajorityofthese interactionsareharmless,but-becauseofitsabundanceofteenusers-TikTokhas experiencedproblemswithpredatorscontactingyoungpeople

Likeallsocialmedia,TikTokisdesignedtobeaddictiveItcanbehugelyentertainingbutthatalsomakesithardtoputdownAswellasthepunchynatureoftheshortvideo format,theapp’sabilitytokeepusersintriguedaboutwhat’scomingnextmeansit’s easyfora5-minutevisittoturnintoa45-minutestay

IN-APPSPENDING

There’sanin-appoptiontopurchase‘TikTokcoins’,whicharethenconvertedinto digitalrewardsforsendingtocontentcreatorsthatauserlikesPricesrangefrom 99ptoaneye-watering£99bundleTikTokisalsoconnectedwithShopify,which allowsuserstobuyproductsthroughtheapp

ADVICEFORPARENTSANDCARERS

TALKABOUTONLINECONTENT

AssumingyourchildisaboveTikTok’sagelimit,talktothemaboutwhat they’veviewedontheappAsktheiropiniononwhat’sappropriateandwhat isntExplainwhytheyshouldntgiveoutpersonaldetailsoruploadvideos whichrevealinformationliketheirschoolorhomeaddressInthelongrun, teachingthemtothinkcriticallyaboutwhattheyseeonTikTokcouldhelpthem becomesocial-mediasavvy

ENABLEFAMILYPAIRING

‘FamilyPairing’letsparentsandcarerslinktheirownTikTokaccounttotheirchild’s Throughyourmobileyoucancontrolyourchild’ssafetysettingsremotelyincludinglimitingscreentime,managingtheirabilitytoexchangemessages(and withwhom)andblockingalotofage-inappropriatecontentTikTok’sSafetyCentre alsoprovidesresourcesforparentsandcarerstosupportonlinesafetyamong familiesTheseresourcescanbefoundontheirwebsite

MAINTAINPRIVACYSETTINGS

Thedefaultsettingforallunder16saccountsisprivateKeepingitthatwayisthesafest solution:itmeansonlyuserswhoyourchildapprovescanwatchtheirvideosTheStitch; (whichletsusersspliceclipsfromotherpeople’svideosintotheirown)and‘Duet’(where youbuildonanotheruserscontentbyrecordingyourownvideoalongsidetheiroriginal) featuresarenowonlyavailabletothoseover16Thismightclashwithyourchild’s ambitionsofsocialmediastardom,butitwillfortifytheiraccountagainstpredators

USERRESTRICTEDMODE

Intheapp’s‘DigitalWellbeing’section,youcanfilteroutinappropriatecontent (specificcontentcreatorsorhashtagsforinstance)using‘RestrictedMode’. ThiscanthenbelockedwithaPINYoushouldnote,though,thatthealgorithm moderatingcontentisn’ttotallydependable-soit’swisetocontinuetostay awareofwhatyourchildiswatching.

LEARNABOUTREPORTINGANDBLOCKING

Withthecorrectprivacysettingsapplied,TikTokisarelativelysafespaceHowever, incasesomethingdoesslipthroughmakesureyourchildknowshowtorecognise andreportinappropriatecontentandgetthemtocometoyouaboutanything upsettingthattheyveseenTikTokallowsuserstoreportanyonebreachingits guidelines,whileyoucanalsoblockindividualusersthroughtheirprofile.

MODERATESCREENTIME

AsentertainingasTikTokis,youcanhelpyourchildmanagetheirtimeonitintheDigital Wellbeing’sectionUnder‘ScreenTimeManagement’youcanlimitthedailypermitted timeontheapp(inincrementsrangingfrom40minutestotwohours).Thispreference canalsobelockedbehindaPINThatwayyourchildcangettheirregulardoseofTikTok withoutwastingtheirwholeday