How To Keep Your Child Safe on Social Media

Child-friendly social media platforms

In response to the popularity of social media networks, child-friendly alternatives have appeared that put parents in control. One example of this is Messenger Kids created by Facebook, which allows kids to message and video chat with friends while parents supervise and monitor every step of the way. There are other options too, like FamilyApp – designed for families to create safe online communities – as well as Fennec and JusTalk Kids that are developed with children in mind.

Working up from there are apps like PopJam and Grom Social that better replicate the feel of modern social media apps such as Snapchat and TikTok while remaining safe for children. This is a great starting point for younger kids to learn good habits before they move on to more ‘grown-up’ social media networks.

Some apps also offer child-friendly versions of their software that restrict certain features. One example is YouTube, which offers a version of its app designed for young children. The app filters any inappropriate videos and allows parents to set time limits.

Parental control software

The most comprehensive tool that parents can use to keep their kids safe online is parental control software. These solutions are designed to help parents, and they work on a whole other level compared to simple app restrictions.

There are many different kinds of parental control apps, and they all have specialties that you should consider when looking for the right one for your family. For example, Bark has great social media monitoring, so you don’t need to worry if your child doesn’t want to use the child-friendly networks. You can also use software such as Qustodio to thoroughly monitor activity like search history, usage time, and browsing history with the ability to block anything you deem inappropriate. Then there’s Kaspersky Safe Kids, which allows you to set up a schedule for when a device can be used – ideal for when it’s dinnertime. Of course, you can set important apps to continue working even when a device is blocked in case of emergency.