3 social media apps your teenager can use today

If you’re a parent with a teenager at home, you’ll know much of their lives revolve around social media.

From keeping up with friends and making social plans, to discussing the latest viral music, movies, and trends, social media is an exciting place to explore common interests.

However, social media safety for teens is a valid concern for parents, as these sites are not without their risks for younger users. As a parent, it’s common to wonder: is my child staying safe on social media? What are the safest social media apps? And how I protect them from cyberbullying, strangers, and harmful content?

At Sersha, we believe social media can be a positive experience. Especially if you, and your child, are aware of the risks.

In this blog, we’ve scored three of the most popular social media apps for teenagers aged 14+ across the key areas of risk (cyberbullying, stranger danger, screentime, violence and inappropriate content), along with some safety tips, so you can let your child enjoy the benefits of social media without the stress.

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How risky is Roblox for teenagers?

Roblox is described as an online ‘virtual universe’ that allows users to interact, create, and play games created by other players. It’s largely popular amongst pre-teens, with over half of its users being 16 or under, and only a small percentage being older than 25.

The ability to interact with other gamers, use functions such as instant chat and messaging, and receive friend requests from unknown users, means there is a risk of cyber-bullying and peer-pressure taking place on Roblox. Although the platform has some measures to prevent and report cyberbullying, they are not always effective, so it’s important to frequently monitor your who your child is connecting with and look our for any signs of cyber-bullying.  

What’s more, playing games on Roblox can also rack up a lot screentime for your child, especially for teenagers, who you may offer more control over their gaming time. Although it’s a fun platform to use, with new and updated games frequently being made available, ensuring your child balances Roblox with other offline activities is key.

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How risky is BeReal for teenagers?

BeReal rose to fame in 2022 and has quickly become one of the most popular social media apps used by teenagers. It stands out from other social media apps in that it encourages users to be their authentic and ‘unedited’ selves by sending the same daily notification to everyone, prompting them to take a picture of what they’re doing and what they are surrounded by.

BeReal does not place the same level of importance on likes or comments as other social media apps, and encourages users to share content only with their inner circle. This, paired with the lack of ‘explore pages’ and limited ways to discover new users, reduces the risk of cyberbullying and stranger danger for teens on BeReal, making it one of the safest social media apps.

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How risky is TikTok for teenagers?

And by now, you have likely heard all about TikTok. This popular social media platform is a hit amongst young social media users, including teens aged 14+, allowing them to create, share, and watch short videos about a wide variety of topics – from music and dancing to comedy and acting.

However, there are some safety risks to look out for when it comes to TikTok. Users are able to have public accounts, meaning anyone can view and comment on their videos, or send them messages. This could expose your child to strangers or bad actors online, so keeping a close eye on their follower and following lists is crucial, as well as their comment section.

There may also be content available on TikTok that is unsuitable for young users, such as reference to violence, drugs, or adult language. Although there are content moderation and parental control features available, these are not always 100% effective. We advise checking in with your teenager regularly and reviewing the content being served to them via TikTok’s ‘for you’ explore page, as well as in direct message threads.

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To learn more…

Each social media app comes with its own set of benefits, as well as challenges, for you and your child. We believe embracing social media is the way forward, but taking time to understand the risks first, is essential.

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