So the POLL RESULTS ARE IN and this weeks theme will be "At what age can I..."
We'll be looking at various topics including employment, sex/ sexual health, money management and education but for #socialmonday we've got the key info you need about social media and the age restrictions that come with it.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Skype, TikTok and Snapchat require you to be 13 years old to join, whilst Watsapp have pushed that up to 16. To sign up and subscribe to channels on Youtube you must be 18 or 13 with parental consent, but use of their platform has no age limit for viewing when not logged in.
Across the board, no social media platforms allow people under the age of 13 to sign up because of an American law stating data cannot be collected from users under that age without parental consent. This being rather a tricky and unrealistic task to achieve, companies decided to take the easier route of setting age restrictions.
Social media provides important support networks for young people and has a bunch of positive impacts (heck it’s our main method by which to increase awareness for Youth in Romsey!), but it can also be a dangerous place for young people, especially those younger than 13. It’s so important that people using Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc are A) old enough to be aware of and manage the risks involved in what they are doing, and B) have the emotional maturity to recognise when something is going on that shouldn’t, and ask for help to resolve it. It’s for this reason that it’s so important those not yet in their teens are prevented from accessing social media, not just due to legal regulations.
On all the social media sites, you can create private accounts making it possible to control who sees your own posts. This is a very effective way to increase your safety online and avoid the ever increasing volume of people cyber bullying, grooming and generally causing harm from behind a keyboard.
So enjoy the good, protect yourself from the bad, and most importantly - remember SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT COMPULSORY! There's nothing wrong with taking a break from it, not posting or simply never having an account in the first place 😎
