Safety guide

Social media safety checklist for parents

These steps make almost any social app safer, whichever one your child uses. Run the free scanner for the exact settings on a specific app.

Recommended age

Applies to most apps from age 13; younger children generally shouldn’t have an account.

Switch the account to private so only approved followers see posts.
Limit who can send direct messages to existing contacts only.
Link the platform's family-pairing / supervision tool to a parent account.
Turn off precise location sharing and location tags in posts.
Restrict who can comment, or disable comments from non-contacts.
Disable livestreaming for the account.
Turn off account suggestions and find-by-phone/email so strangers can't discover the account.
Enable restricted mode or the sensitive-content filter.
Remove full name, school, age and identifiable photos from the public profile.
Set daily screen-time or usage limits.
Turn off activity status and read receipts.
Turn off personalized ads and limit data sharing.

Ask what they like about the app before talking about risks — lead with curiosity, not a lecture.
Agree the settings together at the same screen, so it feels like a shared decision, not a punishment.
Make it normal to tell you about anything uncomfortable — no blame for messages they didn’t ask for.
Revisit the settings every few months; apps change defaults and your child’s use changes too.

Answer a few questions and see exactly which settings to change — and get the option of a full report.