Social Media Safety
A practical guide to keeping children safer on social media platforms, covering privacy, content, and contact risks.
Social Media is the practice of protecting children on platforms where they share posts and interact with others, from risks such as contact from strangers, harmful content, and pressure to compare themselves.
What is this?
Social media is a major part of many children's lives, offering connection, creativity, and community. However, it also exposes them to risks including contact from strangers, harmful content, comparison and self-esteem issues, and privacy concerns. Most platforms have a minimum age of 13, but many younger children have accounts.
How it works
Social media platforms use algorithms that curate content based on engagement. This means a child who lingers on a particular type of content — even briefly — will be shown more of it. Combined with features like direct messaging, follower requests, and public profiles, children can quickly find themselves in situations they are not equipped to handle.
Warning signs
In your child
- • Changes in mood or self-esteem that appear linked to social media use
- • Becoming upset after receiving notifications or checking their phone
- • Obsessive checking of likes, followers, and comments
On their device
- • Multiple social media accounts, including secret or alternative accounts
- • Direct messages from unknown accounts or adults
- • Apps with age restrictions above the child's actual age
Prevention steps
Set all profiles to private
Go through every social media platform together and ensure the profile is private, direct messages are restricted to known contacts, and the account does not appear in public search results.
Follow and connect with your child
Ask to follow your child's accounts — not to spy, but to stay gently aware of their online world. Explain that this is about safety, not surveillance.
Talk about algorithms and content design
Help your child understand that what they see on social media is curated to keep them scrolling. Discuss how this can distort reality and affect how they feel about themselves.
What to do if it happens
- 1If your child has been contacted by a stranger or exposed to harmful content, report the account or content through the platform's tools.
- 2Have an open conversation about what they have experienced — avoid reacting with anger as this may discourage them from telling you in future.
- 3Review and adjust privacy settings, and consider whether the platform is appropriate for your child's age and maturity.
Related topics
If you need to report this
In immediate danger: call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101.
Concerned about a child but it's not an emergency? NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000. Childline for young people 0800 1111.
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.
The picture in the UK
52%
of the average UK 8 to 14-year-old's daily time online is spent on just two services — YouTube and Snapchat.
Ofcom, 202564%
of 12-year-olds visited Snapchat in a month, compared with 27% of 10-year-olds — social platforms take hold fastest between the ages of 10 and 12.
Ofcom, 2025Myths & facts
Myth: Social media isn't something to worry about until my child is 13.
Fact: Most platforms set a minimum age of 13, but age checks are easy to get around and many primary-age children see social content through siblings, friends or shared devices. Starting conversations early, before they have their own account, is far easier than starting after.
Myth: Setting the account to private makes it safe.
Fact: Private settings are worth doing, but they only control who follows the account — anything posted can still be screenshotted and shared on, and direct messages may still be open. Treat settings as one layer of protection, not the whole answer.
Myth: The safest option is to ban social media completely.
Fact: Outright bans often push use onto a friend's phone or a secret account, which means problems happen where you can't help. A gradual, supervised introduction with clear expectations tends to keep you in the loop far better.
Age by age
- 8-10
They're below the minimum age for mainstream platforms, so hold that line, but don't treat the topic as closed: talk about what they see on YouTube or through older siblings, and watch together when you can.
- 11-13
If they join a platform, set the account up together: private profile, followers they know in real life, and location tags off. Make a habit of chatting about what's on their feed rather than only checking their phone.
- 14-16
Shift from rules to conversations about pressure — to be always available, to compare themselves to edited lives, to join in group pile-ons. Make sure they know how to block, report and mute, and that they can come to you if a DM turns nasty.
- 17-plus
Act as an adviser rather than a gatekeeper. Talk about their digital footprint ahead of jobs, apprenticeships or university, and keep checking in on how social media leaves them feeling.
A real-world example
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Resources
Sources
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