Twitter – is one of the top choice social media platforms, with more than 429 million users around the globe. While Twitter, like any other social media network, helps us to share content and meet new people, it can have serious negative consequences, especially for children.
As a concerned parent, it’s only natural to want to protect your young ones from cyberbullies and online predators that scroll Twitter daily looking for their next prey. Inappropriate content can also have a detrimental effect on your child’s mental health. In this post, we discuss everything you need to know about Twitter parental control.
What is Twitter?
Twitter is the social media platform, that lets users to broadcast their messages (also known as tweets) on the site. Users make connections by following each other. Once you follow someone, their tweets start appearing on your feed. Users can also comment, retweet, and share tweets.
Most activities on the platform involve the use of hashtags.
The hashtags are designed to group together tweets on the same subject. Users regularly visit Twitter to get updates and promotions from businesses. They can also message and share files with other users on the platform. Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022. He changed its name to X in July 2023.
Is Twitter Safe?
As a parent, you may wonder about safety. While Twitter is a great place to find breaking news, celebrity gossip, and connecting with new people, it’s also filled with lots of explicit content, especially adult content. Hate speech and bullying are also common on the platform.
You do not need an account to browse tweets through the platform so your child can view all tweets and hashtags anonymously. The platform enables users to see all tweet contents without account creation. Recent safety and privacy concerns emerged for Twitter after Elon Musk bought it.
This is a problem for parents with younger children who are looking to protect their kids from such content.
Does Twitter Have Age Restrictions?
Currently, the Twitter age restrictions settings – is 13. Twitter has a lot of useful content and keeps us in the know on the latest trends and news. However, like everything in like, Twitter has its weaknesses. Luckily, Twitter is always working on ways to improve its privacy policy to improve user experience.
The platform has a few settings that can help you block offer inappropriate content:
- The initial security feature blocks spam accounts from accessing Twitter communities through safe mode. This security feature exists for selected geographic areas but not all regions can access it.
- The second safety feature is the conversation controls, which protect users from potential abuse. They also help users engage in meaningful conversations and give them control over who can message them.
- The third and last feature is muting. This safety feature allows users to block specific Twitter accounts from appearing on their feeds. To avoid its content, users simply need to block and unfollow an account.
How to Setup Twitter Parental Controls?
There are a few Twitter parental controls that helps protect your child from inappropriate content. They include:
Disabling video autoplay
- Tap your profile and then settings and privacy.
- Find Accessibility, display, and language and tap on it.
- Now tap on Data Usage.
- Enable the toggle beside Data Saver.
Disable direct messages
- Launch Twitter and tap on the menu icon with three dots.
- Tap Settings and Privacy and then Privacy and Safety.
- Tap Direct Messages and check the box beside No One.
Parentaler – The Best Parental Control Option for Twitter
Although Twitter has many privacy settings, they are usually not sufficient to protect children who have not reached the age limit for Twitter. Fortunately, with the help of parental monitoring apps like Parentaler, it’s possible to keep an eye on your child’s activities on Twitter and block inappropriate content.
The app boasts some impressive features. Read it:
- Website blocker– Parentaler allows you to view child’s browser history and bookmarks, and block harmful websites.
- App blocker—The app helps you monitor all apps installed on your child’s phone and uninstall inappropriate ones. You can also view all hidden and deleted apps.
- Anonymous monitoring—Parentaler offers anonymous monitoring so that you can view your child’s Twitter activities without their knowledge.
- Location tracking – It allows you to track current and previous locations of your child.
Parentaler vs Twitter Parental Control
| Parentaler | Twitter Parental Control | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | • Anonymous monitoring • App blocking • Twitter account blocking • Location tracking • Easy to set up • 24/7 support • Real-time monitoring | • Limits access to sensitive content • Privacy protection |
| Cons | • Requires a subscription | • Limited protection • Lacks customization options • Less autonomy |
Parentaler has a clear advantage of Twitter parental control because of the numerous advantages. The monitoring app gives you better control over what your child can access on the platform, making it easier to protect them. While Twitter parental controls can help you block inappropriate content, its effectiveness is limited.
You may have blocked accounts with explicit content, but your child may still get messages from online bullies.
Additionally, it does not have the customization options you’ll find on Parentaler. Besides protecting your child from harmful content and creating a safe Twitter for kids, Parentaler comes with a whole host of features, including GPS location monitoring – allows you to track your child’s location in real time.
Conclusion
How old do you have to be to use Twitter? This is one of the most common questions parents ask. While Twitter is one of the most important platforms in the 21st century, it contains a lot of inappropriate content that should not be consumed by kids aged 13 and below.
For parents whose kids use Twitter, this is a major concern for the mental and psychological health of their young ones. It is on own not really enough to ward off kidʼs dangers.
To protect children effectively more measures need implementation which includes using Parentaler’s monitoring application. It allows detailed monitoring which helps parents to recognize their child’s online activities. The system lets you block both accounts and applications that you want to prevent from access.
