Safety Rating Explanation: X, formerly Twitter, leaves a great deal to be desired in the way of parental supervision features. However, its dangers are relatively minimal in comparison to other platforms.
What Is X?
X is a social networking website that allows users to post and interact with messages.
What Are X’s Main Features?
Posts
Posts can can include text, photos, videos, and links. X users can follow other accounts to see posts on their feed. Posts on X can be “Liked” or reposted, which shares another account’s posts with your followers.
Followers
Followers on X are users who have opted to receive updates from a specific account. When posts are made, followers can view them on their X timeline. Accounts can either be public or private. If a user has gone private, only their followers can view their posts and account activity.
Direct Messages
Users who are following one another can send direct messages to the other account’s inbox. This allows one-on-one and group conversations, such as text messages, on the platform. Depending on account settings, messages from accounts that a user doesn’t follow may appear in a separate message requests tab.
Is My Child Safe on X?
Probably not. X permits sexually explicit and pornographic content, and such content is actively promoted to users via the “For You” page. Besides the risk of being exposed to harmful images and video, the platform’s direct messaging is also susceptible to being used by bad actors to promote inappropriate content or phish for sensitive data. While the platform has a minimum-age requirement of 13, the rule is easily bypassed, meaning that children will be able to create an account on the platform.
How to Control Settings on X
- Activate Private Account Settings: Enable private account settings for your kids and teens to control who can view their posts and activities.
- Disable Location Sharing in Photos: Turn off the option to share location data when posting photos to prevent revealing your children’s whereabouts.
- Use Content Filtering: Take advantage of content filtering features, such as not displaying tweets/X posts with sensitive content, to shield your children from inappropriate material.
- Block Inappropriate Language: Use the feature to block tweets/X posts containing inappropriate words, ensuring a safer online experience for your children.
- Adjust Account Discoverability: Explore and adjust various account discoverability settings to bolster account security and control who can find and connect with your children.
