Apps Where Children Can Post Publicly - What UK Parents Should Know
Users can post photos, videos, text or creations that people they do not know can see.
Why it matters
Anything posted publicly can be copied, shared and commented on by strangers, and can reveal more about your child than they intend.
What to check
Check whether the account is public or private, and who can comment on or share your child's posts.
Apps with this feature
Features are based on what each of our app guides says. Apps change often, so check the app's own settings too.
Roblox Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 5+ · We suggest 10+
Roblox is an online platform where users can play millions of games (called 'experiences') created by other users.
From our Roblox guide BeReal Safety Guide
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
If your child posts to the Discovery feed (the public section), anyone on BeReal can see their photo.
From our BeReal guide Setting: Who can see your BeRealWhere: Profile > Settings > Privacy
Epic Games & Fortnite Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
The Creative mode allows children to build and share custom game maps.
From our Epic Games guide LINE, KakaoTalk & WeChat Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
The social feed (Moments on WeChat, Timeline on LINE, KakaoStory on KakaoTalk) defaults can be wider than expected.
From our LINE / KakaoTalk / WeChat guide Setting: Moments / Timeline VisibilityWhere: Settings -> Privacy -> Moments / Timeline
Pinterest Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
Check that your child's account and boards are set to secret or private rather than public
From our Pinterest guide Setting: Secret BoardsWhere: When creating a board → Secret
Steam Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
The community features — forums, group chats, and profile comments — are where most child safety risks arise, as strangers can contact children through these channels.
From our Steam guide YouTube Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
Older children may also read and post comments, create their own channels, and subscribe to creators.
From our YouTube guide Instagram Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 14+
private profiles by default for under-16s and new teen sign-ups (Meta says existing public accounts of 16- and 17-year-olds are not switched to private)
From our Instagram guide Setting: Private AccountWhere: Settings and activity → Teen Account settings → Account privacy → Private account
Snapchat Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 14+
Limits who can view your child's Stories so they are not visible to everyone.
From our Snapchat guide Setting: See My StoryWhere: Settings → App & Privacy → My Privacy & Data → View My Story
Webtoon Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 14+
Many also draw fan art and post it to Webtoon, Instagram, or X with their handle visible
From our Webtoon guide Facebook Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
posts in public Groups can be seen by every member
From our Facebook guide Setting: Who can see your postsWhere: In the app's menu under Settings & Privacy > Settings (audience and visibility)
Lemon8 Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
Limits who can see your child's posts and saved boards to approved followers only.
From our Lemon8 guide Setting: Private AccountWhere: Profile -> Settings -> Privacy -> Private account
Threads Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
Threads is Meta's text-based public conversation app, similar in feel to X/Twitter.
From our Threads guide Setting: Private ProfileWhere: Profile -> Settings -> Privacy -> Private profile
TikTok Parental Controls and Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
Many also create and upload their own content, sometimes sharing personal details without realising the audience size.
From our TikTok guide Setting: Private AccountWhere: Your teen's privacy settings (Profile > Menu ☰ > Settings and privacy > Privacy > Private account), or Family Pairing > select your teen's account > Discoverability
Tumblr Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
Teenagers use Tumblr to follow fandoms, post fan-art and fan-fiction, reblog from creators they admire
From our Tumblr guide Setting: Hidden Blog from SearchWhere: Account -> Settings -> Blog -> Visibility
Twitch Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
viewers chat publicly alongside the stream
From our Twitch guide Wattpad Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
where amateur and aspiring writers publish stories chapter by chapter and readers comment, vote, and follow
From our Wattpad guide Archive of Our Own (AO3) Safety Guide
Official age 13+ · We suggest 16+
Comments and profile bios are public
From our AO3 guide Bluesky Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 16+
Bluesky is a public microblogging service built on the AT Protocol
From our Bluesky guide Depop Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 16+
the combination of public listing photos, followers and comments, and money changing hands
From our Depop guide Mastodon Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 16+ · We suggest 16+
Stops posts appearing on the public timeline of every federated instance.
From our Mastodon guide Setting: Default Post VisibilityWhere: Preferences -> Other -> Posting privacy
Reddit Safety Guide
Official age 13+ · We suggest 16+
their whole post history is public and can eventually be linked back to them.
From our Reddit guide Strava Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 16+
Because activities default to public visibility on many accounts, a child's first few runs from home can publish a precise map of the front door before any privacy setting is touched.
From our Strava guide Setting: Activity Visibility (default)Where: Settings -> Privacy Controls -> Activities
X (Twitter) Safety Guide
Official age 13+ · We suggest 16+
X (formerly Twitter) is a public social media platform where users post short messages, images, and videos.
From our X (Twitter) guide Setting: Protect your postsWhere: Settings > Privacy and Safety > Audience, media and tagging > Protect your posts
Chai AI Safety Guide
Official age 18+ · We suggest 18+
any user can design and publish their own custom AI character with its own personality and backstory
From our Chai AI guide Character.AI Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 16+ · We suggest 18+
Stops characters and chats your child creates being publicly visible.
From our Character.AI guide Setting: Persona VisibilityWhere: Profile > Settings > Privacy
Rumble & 'Alt-Tech' Video Platforms
Official age 16+ · We suggest 18+
Rumble is a video-sharing platform that positions itself as an alternative to YouTube with lighter content moderation.
From our Rumble & Alt-Tech guide Telegram Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 18+ · We suggest 18+
Telegram is built around huge public groups and channels that anyone can search and join
From our Telegram guide
Related risk guides
Other features
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.