Parental controls are available on almost every popular social media platform, but many parents are unaware of them. A recent report from The Washington Post revealed that fewer than 10% of teens on Instagram had enabled parental control settings by the end of 2022, and only a small percentage of parents had actually used these controls.
In response to concerns from Congress and advocacy groups about the potential dangers of social media for young users, tech companies have argued that the parental controls they offer can help protect kids. However, since these controls are not enabled by default, they are not effective unless parents take the initiative to activate them.
Each social media platform has its own approach to parental controls, but most of them allow parents to monitor their teen’s communications and in some cases, intervene in how the app is being used. TikTok stands out as a platform that offers parents more control over their teens’ usage compared to others like Instagram and Snapchat. The app provides advanced parental controls in an effort to address concerns raised by lawmakers.
While many social media platforms offer parental controls, some have had them in place for longer than others. Meta, for example, has faced criticism for its potential negative impact on teens for over a decade and has had parental controls available for many years. On the other hand, platforms like Discord have only recently introduced parental controls as they have flown under the radar of scrutiny until now.
It is important to note that teens can also create secret accounts on social media platforms, and parental controls often rely on communication between parents and their teens to be effective. To help parents navigate these controls, we have created a guide detailing the parental control options offered by popular social media companies and how they differ from platform to platform.
For example, Instagram’s parental controls can be accessed through the Family Center feature. Parents can create a supervised account for their teens aged 13-17 and monitor their activity on the platform. They can set time limits, view their teen’s followers and following lists, and adjust privacy settings to ensure their teen’s safety.
Similarly, TikTok offers robust parental controls through its Family Pairing feature, allowing parents to set screen time limits, restrict specific types of content, and control who can interact with their teen on the app. Snapchat also provides a Family Center for parents to monitor their teen’s activity, such as viewing their friends list and group interactions.
Discord, which has been under the radar in terms of parental controls, now offers a Family Center feature that allows parents to monitor their teen’s activity on the platform. They can see who their teen is talking to, which servers they have joined, and more.
Facebook, despite being viewed as a platform for older users, still has a significant number of young users. Parents can access supervision controls on Facebook to monitor their teen’s activity and set time limits.
However, X (formerly Twitter) is the only platform on this list that does not offer parental controls. This lack of controls, combined with the platform’s leniency towards adult content and hate speech, raises concerns about the safety of young users on the platform.
In conclusion, parental controls are an essential tool for parents to ensure their teens’ safety on social media platforms. By understanding and utilizing these controls, parents can help protect their children from potential harm online.