Do your 11 year olds have Snapchat and Tim Tok

[chrispot]

I know you have to be 13 but have you let your 11 year olds have these apps?

Absolutely not

I got Tiktok to monitor it and NO WAY is it suitable for kids - there no way of course trolling what come up. And if you look up one dieting video eg you start getting lots in your feed, follows by more of emancipated sad looking teens crying on camera and talking about their ‘journeys’ or how lonely they are.

Rvwn if you spend all day looking at puppy videos, trending stuff pops up.

No neither 11 or 13 year old.

No

he has just got a phone for his birthday but isn’t allowed those apps

What’s so bad about Snapchat?

Nope at 13

At 11 it was no to snap chat but had youtube.
Now 15 has both.. main form of communication with peers is snapchat

My 13 yo has neither, my 15yo has tiktok but since she's mainly on #booktok I'm not too concerned (although i did laugh when she told me she'd seen a recommendation for a book I'd been telling her she'd enjoy for about 6 months. No phones in the bedroom and they are hidden weekend mornings as well. Time away from screens is the most important thing.

I am so so grateful my son is totally uninterested in this stuff, it’s one less thing to worry about. However, I think I would let him, it’s so difficult being the odd one out as a kid.

No, but they didn’t want it. My son had them from about 14, my daughter is a teen now and not interested at all. Neither of them have ever been glued to their phone. They like gaming and talk to their friends on that and they’re not interested in putting videos of themselves online. Snapchat seems to have caused a lot of drama for people they know and they’re not really into all that.

What’s booktok? Sounds like something my son might enjoy.

Snapchat doesn't save pictures/messages. So someone could be sending your child inappropriate messages/pictures and you would never find out. I understand being 'snapped' an erect penis is a thing that the teenage boys do the girls. (By that, I mean my teenager tells me this)

Yes to the dick pics ^

It's also a really vicious app where bullying is concerned. Everyone making and sharing videos

No. My 13 year old doesn't either.

Snapchat is a nightmare, a safeguarding nightmare. Whoever invented it must have been into dodgy stuff That's all I can think of.

I think you are right to do what you are doing.

I remember a thread way back when a man live streamed his gun use (on himself) on FB. The videos made their way to TikTok and still posters were jumping on the thread to defend their child using TikTok. Clips of this were embedded into cute kitten videos.

Some people are sick aren't they, why would you do that? And the age limit makes no difference here, a 13yo would find that as upsetting as a 12yo despite being over the age limit and adults shouldn't be exposed to that either.

I think the most important thing is to maintain a dialogue with your children so if they see something upsetting they feel comfortable telling you so you can put it into context for them and help them deal with it.

Nope my 15-year-old doesnt have either.

I find it so irritating when people say "You're wrapping your child/children in cotton wool" I can only assume you don't know the content on tik tok and if you allow your child to use these apps I'd question your parenting. Tik tok, Snapchat, Instagram and fb are not for children.
I have an 11 year old and a 14 year old. The 14 year old uses WhatsApp but nothing else. She isn't left out of anything. She asked last year for Instagram I said we'd consider when she's 15/16.

No idea why people here think WhatsApp is safe for children! It exposes their phone number to everyone! It's 16 and over for a good reason.
We stick to the age minimums in this house. They know not to ask anymore (Sons age 12 & 14)

Absolutely not.

There's a reason anyone in my social circle who works in IT, education etc are the more strictly controling parents when it comes to tech use...

Some people are sick aren't they, why would you do that? And the age limit makes no difference here, a 13yo would find that as upsetting as a 12yo despite being over the age limit and adults shouldn't be exposed to that either.

Right. What I have was an extreme example. It's not a case of that or nothing though and you have provided a great example of the comments I was talking about on that thread. As it happens I don't think any child should be on TikTok.

I think the most important thing is to maintain a dialogue with your children so if they see something upsetting they feel comfortable telling you so you can put it into context for them and help them deal with it

And when they don't realise it's upsetting? They simply get sucked in and believe? The trans debate is a huge example but also glamourisation of self harm, that's not upsetting it's embedding itself. The 'autistic/adhd' bullshit can easily make an impression on a child/teen. The grooming that takes place?

No. It’s a bit of a mix amongst her friends, but I’m a DSL and husband is in internet security, we have explained why she can’t have them. I’m well aware that she can watch TikTok on her friends phones but I’d like to minimise the risks at home and on her phone.

Thanks @mitsy5 I will play around with it before we decide to let her have it back or not.

DS is 20 and had insta etc from 13 and tells me not to allow DD any of these, he may be being a caring big brother, or he may just be being a shit in their eternal game of oneupmanship but I take his opinion in board.

I have said on these threads before that the young women I know with the msot serious mental health problems are the ones addicted to Insta and TikTok

No. Although some of her friends do.