Safety guide

Social media safety checklist for parents

A platform-agnostic checklist of the settings and conversations that make any social app safer for a child or teen.

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.

Last updated July 10, 2026

Recommended age

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

Platform minimums are a baseline. Local privacy or online-safety law can still require parental consent or a higher access age.
EU/UK digital-consent thresholds vary by country: UK and Portugal 13; Italy and Spain 14; France 15; Germany 16.
United States: COPPA rules apply under 13, and state social-media laws may add stricter account rules.
Australia: covered age-restricted social media platforms must take steps to prevent under-16 accounts.

Account is private
High priority
Switch the account to private so only approved followers see posts.
Direct messages restricted to known contacts
High priority
Limit who can send direct messages to existing contacts only.
Parental supervision linked
High priority
Link the platform's family-pairing / supervision tool to a parent account.
Precise location is off
High priority
Turn off precise location sharing and location tags in posts.
Comments restricted
Medium priority
Restrict who can comment, or disable comments from non-contacts.
Livestreaming disabled
Medium priority
Disable livestreaming for the account.
Not discoverable by strangers
Medium priority
Turn off account suggestions and find-by-phone/email so strangers can't discover the account.
Sensitive-content filter / restricted mode on
Medium priority
Enable restricted mode or the sensitive-content filter.
Identifying info minimized
Medium priority
Remove full name, school, age and identifiable photos from the public profile.
Screen-time / usage limits set
Lower priority
Set daily screen-time or usage limits.
Activity status / read receipts off
Lower priority
Turn off activity status and read receipts.
Ad / data personalization minimized
Lower priority
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 — with the option of a full report.

Tick each setting once you have changed it.

Account is private — Switch the account to private so only approved followers see posts.
Direct messages restricted to known contacts — Limit who can send direct messages to existing contacts only.
Parental supervision linked — Link the platform's family-pairing / supervision tool to a parent account.
Precise location is off — Turn off precise location sharing and location tags in posts.
Comments restricted — Restrict who can comment, or disable comments from non-contacts.
Livestreaming disabled — Disable livestreaming for the account.
Not discoverable by strangers — Turn off account suggestions and find-by-phone/email so strangers can't discover the account.
Sensitive-content filter / restricted mode on — Enable restricted mode or the sensitive-content filter.
Identifying info minimized — Remove full name, school, age and identifiable photos from the public profile.
Screen-time / usage limits set — Set daily screen-time or usage limits.
Activity status / read receipts off — Turn off activity status and read receipts.
Ad / data personalization minimized — Turn off personalized ads and limit data sharing.

SafeSocials gives general guidance, not a guarantee that an app is safe.

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