Social Media and Gaming
sOCIAL MEDIA AND MENTAL HEALTH
SOURCE NATIONAL COLLEGE
An estimated one-third of children have a social media account, so it’s important that trusted adults know what content young people are consuming; what they’re posting; and what interactions they’re having. On social media, it can be easy to go down a rabbit hole that isn’t beneficial to our wellbeing. As platforms grapple with managing ‘legal but harmful’ content, lives are being impacted – sometimes to tragic effect. We might be daunted by the scale of the tech giants and their content which enthrals young people, but we can still help children to be mindful of their mental wellness: recognising when something isn’t OK … and knowing what to do about content that upsets them.
In the guide, you'll find tips such as how to hide content, setting daily limits and discussing what children have seen online.
TIKTOK
So what is TikTok, and are there any risks to be aware of? Here's everything you need to know.
What is TikTok?
TikTok was born out of a merger between two already popular apps, Douyin and Musical.ly. It’s based around many of the same features found on those platforms and is primarily a social media app where users can both create and watch short video snippets, often accompanied by music.
Since its launch, the app has consistently stayed at the top of both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store charts.
Users don’t need an account to watch videos on TikTok but if they want to like, comment, customise their feed or create their own video content, they’ll be prompted to sign up for a free account.
Why is it so popular?
You can find videos relating to almost all interests on TikTok, from DIY tricks and make-up tutorials to gaming and sports. People are allowed to let their imagination run wild on TikTok, as there isn’t really a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ type of content. You might use TikTok to pick up new skills, learn how to play an instrument or even connect with people you share interests with.
The videos – which, as of February 2022, can be up to 10 minutes in length – are often playful and take maximum advantage of the editing tools to make them as memorable as possible.
Although most of the content you will find is upbeat, funny and joyful, people also use the platform to respond to political events and movements – such as the #BlackLivesMatter campaign – and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In contrast to most of its competitors, TikTok doesn’t require the user to add any information to their profile: they’re issued with a user number, but whether they add a name, profile picture or any other personal information is their choice.
Users are given complete creative control of their content. Putting together a video is very easy and there’s a range of tools available to spruce up the content, such as filters, effects, text and stickers.
What do parents need to be aware of?
Age restrictions
TikTok requires its users to be at least 13 years old. Despite users having to be aged 13 and up the age ratings for TikTok are, a little confusingly, 12+ on Apple's App Store and "Parental Guidance Recommended" on the Google Play Store.
When logging in for the first time, the user will be asked to log in using either their email, their Google account, or by linking TikTok to one of their other social media accounts, for instance Facebook or Twitter.
In January 2021, TikTok updated its privacy settings so that accounts for under-16s are set to private by default. This means that other users must be approved before they can see and interact with your child’s content or contact them.
Note also that standard TikTok accounts (rather than TikTok for Younger Users profiles) will be taken down if moderators suspect that the individual operating the account is under the age of 13. This can be a useful piece of information if you’re trying to resist the ‘pester power’ of younger children – there’s less of a point getting around age restrictions if the account will be taken down anyway.
You can read more about their age-appropriate policy here.
Screen time
As of March 2023 TikTok has introduced a daily screen time cap of 60 minutes which applies to all accounts belonging to users under the age of 18 by default. Although teens are able to turn off the default limit themselves (or of course lie about their actual age when signing up) they will be prompted to set a daily limit every time they spend more than 100 minutes a day using TikTok.
Teens will also be send an inbox notification once per week with a recap of just how much time they've spent on the app, and users are able to set 'break reminders' – notifications which remind you to take a breather from TikTok after periods of uninterrupted use.
The app now also includes a 'screen time dashboard', something designed to let individuals know what their time spent on TikTok looks like. Users can again get a summary of just how much they use the app, and also are given insight into how often they open TikTok, how their usage this week compares to last week, and what time of day (or night) they use the app most.
Parental controls and safety
TikTok offers its users a range of settings to customise their experience and make it safer for young people, which they refer to as ‘Family Pairing’. These settings allow parents to control elements of their child’s TikTok account if their child is under 16.
The features include the option to decide what you child can search on the app, set screen time limits, opt to disable comments on your child’s videos and decide if other users can view their ‘liked’ videos. As a parent, you won’t have access to your child’s actual videos. It's also worth noting that children under the age of 16 are not able to engage in direct messaging.
These controls have recently been tightened up as part of a concerted effort by the platform to make it safer for its younger users. Although it’s important to bear in mind that parental controls don’t eliminate risk, they can be a good first step. In conjunction with their ‘Family Pairing’ settings, TikTok has also included tips from teenagers. This is designed to encourage dialogue between parents and children around online safety and privacy.
You can view TikTok’s Guardian’s Guide for more information on parental controls – including setting up passwords and linking yours and your child’s phone numbers.
Blocking and reporting functions
TikTok is moderated and content that does not uphold its community guidelines is continuously weeded out.
If you want to further minimise the risk of children stumbling across mature content, it’s a good idea to enable ‘Restricted Mode’. TikTok doesn’t explicitly say how this works, merely that it “limits the appearance of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences”.
Make sure that your child knows how to report videos or users if they stumble across inappropriate content and how to block users who are bothering them.
You can block a user by going to their profile and clicking either ‘Report’ or ‘Block’ from the drop-down menu. You will also be asked to give a description of your complaint and complete a few more steps. You can report a video by clicking on the arrow-shaped ‘Share’ button and select the ‘Report’ icon from the menu. You can then give a brief description of how the video was inappropriate and follow the steps.
In-app messages and privacy
Although connecting with new people on social media is not harmful in and of itself, it is important to be aware of the possible risks.
The platform’s guidelines include a section devoted to ‘Minor safety’, which states “We are deeply committed to child safety and have zero tolerance for predatory or grooming behaviour toward minors.” As mentioned, to further address concerns, TikTok introduced a feature that prevents under-16s from both sending and receiving private messages – but nothing stops young users from faking their age.
Children aged 16-17 now have their direct messages set to ‘no one’ by default. This means that they will have to manually switch settings if they wish to send and receive private messages.
Overall, there’s plenty of choice when it comes to privacy settings – you’re able to control who can see, share, or download your child’s content, even on a video-by-video basis. Visit TikTok’s 'Youth Portal' for more information on how best to do this, and be sure to let children know that they can come to you if they’ve had a bad experience which has involved being contacted by a stranger.
Youth resources and mental health
TikTok's Youth Portal gives young users expanded safety advice on privacy, community guidelines, reporting functions and resources for dealing with dangerous or upsetting situations. All this information is presented in a youth friendly, accessible way.
The Youth Portal also has an expanded list of resources, including tips for wellbeing and links to mental health support sites.
Alongside this, TikTok have enhanced their search intervention policy. If your child searches for something that sounds worrying – for example, #suicide – they will be directed to Samaritans or another mental health support site. If they search for something that might be less explicitly distressing – for example #scary makeup – the search will come up with an ‘opt in’ viewing feature.
Data collection
TikTok has previously come under fire for illegally collecting the data of children under 13, which resulted in a record-breaking fine from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of £4.2m and harsh criticism from the UK’s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
Fortunately, TikTok doesn’t require users to give much personal information to join the app anymore, but it’s a good idea to minimise the amount of data your child stores on the app and turn off personalised ads in the settings.
Challenges
The social media platform is famous for spawning viral challenges which are a big draw for many users. But TikTok has received a lot of flak for allowing potentially dangerous challenges – such as the Skullbreaker Challenge and the Outlet Challenge – to reach popularity on its platform. Although most challenges are fairly harmless, make sure that your child knows not to try risky activities they see on TikTok.
Content
Again, there's an enormous amount of really varied content on TikTok. By looking for (and positively engaging with) uplifting, funny, or educational posts and content creators, children will not only get the most out of their time online, but will also, thanks to how social media algorithms operate, see more content of a similar, positive nature on their feeds.
When it comes to uploading content, TikTok has introduced a new pop-up feature when a user under the age of 16 posts a video, asking them to review who can watch the video. They are required to make a selection before they can publish.
A recent update also prevents anyone from downloading content produced by users under the age of 16.
TikTok 'Tap Out' Challenge
What is the “Tap out” challenge?
This trend often involves a group of teens where one child places another child in a chokehold (forearm is placed around the other child’s neck and throat), the child performing the chokehold would then apply pressure/squeeze the neck until the child in the chokehold taps them out on their arm in which at this point the chokehold should be released. This can also involve another child “tapping in” to join the chain. Whilst there can be no physical signs of injury following this trend it is important to be aware that this type of strangulation can lead to serious health implications in the future, including fatalities.
The challenge is presented in a way that downplays the risks, showing participants laughing or walking away unscathed. What they don't show are the serious risks—like brain damage or even death—that can result from asphyxiation.
Children and young people are not aware of how easily these actions can cause serious harm. Trends such as this can change names quickly so, please be alert, talk to children and young people about it and report anything you see.
Signs and injuries to look out for include;
- Head injuries (as can fall when losing consciousness)
- Possible loss of memory - feeling confused or disoriented after being alone
- Marks or bruises on the neck
- Blood shot eyes (conjunctival haemorrhage).
- Scratches or small red spots (petechiae) to neck/eyelids/cheeks and behind ears.
- Raspy or hoarse voice
- Severe headache
Other names given/similar challenges
Fainting game, Hangman, Elevator, and Blackout
Information on a similar trend “TikTok blackout challenging can be found here The TikTok Blackout Challenge: How to Protect Children which includes What Parents Need to Know. How Safe is TikTok for Children?
SOURCE NATIONAL COLLEGE
WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging platform on the planet, with over two billion users (forecast to become three billion by 2025), across more than 180 countries. The majority of those people (70%) open the app at least once a day – but what exactly are they seeing? Contact from strangers, fake news and convincing scams are all among the service’s well-documented hazards.
According to Ofcom, WhatsApp is used by more than half of 3- to 17-year-olds in the UK (including one in three from the 8–11 bracket), despite its 16+ age restriction. If your child hops onto WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends or family, our updated #WakeUpWednesday guide to the service contains the key details you’ll need to support them in doing it safely.
SnapChat
What is Snapchat? Snapchat is a popular messaging app that allows you to send images and videos to other users. These are known as ‘Snaps’. One of Snapchat’s unique selling points is that messages are normally only available for a short period of time and can only be viewed once.
What age-rating is Snapchat? The platform is rated 13+.
How does Snapchat work? The platform mainly operates as a messaging app where users can communicate with each other using videos and images. However, there are also other features available including private chat, games, and voice notes. You can also create short videos that can be posted to a public feed.
Tips to help keep your child safe on Snapchat
1. Make sure they sign up with the correct age Set up your child’s Snapchat account together to make sure they sign up with correct age. This will automatically enable settings that help to limit unwanted contact from adults and access to certain features.
2. Talk to them about how to feel good on social media Children and young people can face lots of different pressures online. Use Childline’s advice about How to feel good on social media to help give them the tools to manage their wellbeing online.
3. Set rules around friends Before your child starts using the app, talk to them about who they can be friends with on the app. Tell them to come to you if they receive a friend request from someone they don’t know.
4. Know where to report There is a chance that your child could come across inappropriate or upsetting content on Snapchat. If this happens, you should report it to the platform. To report a Snap or a story, press and hold on it, then select ‘Report Snap’.
5. Talk about what is ok / not ok to share Ensure that your child knows what personal and private information is, and what is, and is not, appropriate to share online.
6. Explore the safety features Click here for 10 safety features that are available, like privacy settings and ‘Snapchat Family Centre’.
Five Things Parents Need to Know about Snapchat (source BBC Bitesize)
Five Things Parents Need to Know about Snapchat (source BBC Bitesize)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zsm7cxs
When your teenager is locked on their phone, responding to constant messages and taking a load of selfies of, for instance, half their face and the wall behind them, it’s likely they’re using Snapchat.
We've asked experts, users, and Snapchat themselves, the questions that might help parents - what is Snapchat, how do you use it and how can you help your child get the best out of the app while remaining safe and happy?
What is Snapchat?
Snapchat is a communication service popular among teens, it's used to chat to close friends. Users can take photos, record videos, add text or drawings (called Snaps) and send them to friends. Snaps disappear after being viewed or after 24 hours for stories. This is at the core of Snapchat's design, it encourages spontaneity and casual communication while other social platforms focus on feed-based content and persistent profiles.
Who's using Snapchat?
When we spoke to teenagers, they said it was the main way they speak to their friends and organise their social lives. “When we were younger quite a lot of people didn’t have Snapchat,” says Evie Tarrant, who lives near Bristol and has just turned 18. “We probably would have used WhatsApp more then.” Now, though, WhatsApp is consigned to family group chats, work groups for part-time jobs and A-level project groups. “I think as you get older, everyone has Snapchat,” says Evie.
Like most UK social media, the minimum age required by Snap itself is 13 and if there’s evidence that users are younger than this, Snap says it will delete the account.
Since the law changed in July 2025, platforms have to make children prove their age to protect them from access to the most harmful material such as inciting self-harm, violence and hate speech. “It’s a welcome step in the right direction,” says Ghislaine Bombusa, Content and Digital Director at Internet Matters, an organisation that gives online safety advice. “There’s always going to be a way to circumvent the checks but it will limit the number of underage accounts on there. If you’re registered with the correct birth date the default settings are in proportion to the child’s age.”
Ghislaine encourages parents to ask their children to walk them through how they’re using the platform to understand how it works. Internet Matters have visual guides to help parents through the process of checking privacy settings because, “it can be daunting if you’re a bit of a technophobe or just don’t use the same social media as your children”.
Do Snapchat Messages Disappear?
There are some features of Snapchat that parents may not have encountered before. “When I’m texting family, I’ll use WhatsApp, but then you have to filter it,” says Grace Hutchings, who’s 17 and attends the same Sixth Form as Evie. “What you say on Snapchat disappears in seconds or after 24 hours, depending on the settings, but on WhatsApp you have all the messages there since the chat began.”
Grace and Evie see the disappearing messages as an advantage because it uses up less storage and they don’t have to scroll through endless old messages to find the important ones. “On Snapchat if you've saved a picture it will stay there, but the messages like ‘when are we meeting up?’ just disappear because you don't necessarily need them,” says Evie.
As a parent, it could be important to know that messages or Snaps disappear. If your teen reacts loudly to a message and then says they can’t show it to you, it’s probably because they really can’t retrieve a message, not because they’re hiding anything from you.
When your teenager is locked on their phone, responding to constant messages and taking a load of selfies of, for instance, half their face and the wall behind them, it’s likely they’re using Snapchat.
We've asked experts, users, and Snapchat themselves, the questions that might help parents - what is Snapchat, how do you use it and how can you help your child get the best out of the app while remaining safe and happy?
Do you need a phone number for Snapchat?
“It's easier to talk to people on Snapchat because they just kind of pop up. You don't need to know their phone number,” says Evie. This functionality could ring alarm bells for parents but Evie and Grace are not worried about it.
“You get your mutuals – so if you’re friends with someone on Snapchat and they’re friends with someone, they get recommended to you,” says Evie. “A random person could add you and send you a message but unless you decided to accept it, you’d only see a name, and you could just not interact at all – they couldn’t send you a picture or a voice note.”
Snap were keen to point out to us that if young people of 13-17 register with Snapchat, there are some aspects of the functionality that are tailored to be extra safe. The Family Centre is a feature of Snapchat that lets parents share some aspects of their teenager’s account, so they can see who they’ve been talking to but can’t read the actual conversations.
There are some things you wouldn’t share in a classroom, so don’t do that in a group chat." Ghislaine Bombusa - Internet Matters
“Everything that Snapchat have done with the Family Centre is another step in the right direction,” says Ghislaine. “However, I think parents need to see Family Centre as a supporting platform for conversations. It’s a good way for parents to engage with their children directly on the platform and understand who they’re talking to but the controls are not complete.”
“For example, there’s an AI chatbot on Snapchat that you can either set to be ON or OFF, but you can’t see how children are engaging with it. We’ve recently released some research on AI chatbots and we can see that some children use them to have conversations and ask for advice, and that can cause problems. It will help parents to have those conversations around how to use platforms safely and who to trust for advice.”
Ghislaine says the good thing about having parents on Snapchat is they can start to navigate with their children. "You may have to push yourself to learn how it works, but then you’re armed with knowledge and will be able to give better advice to your children. Even if you don’t understand all of the features, many of them relate to common sense offline. So, you wouldn’t talk to somebody you don’t know in real life, so don’t do that online; there are some things you wouldn’t share in a classroom, so don’t do that in a group chat.”
You can find a really comprehensive guide to how to check and reset the privacy settings for Snapchat on the Internet Matters website. It covers setting up the Family Centre, knowing how to report users, and how to manage location settings
How Snapchat's location function works?
Snapchat has a location function called Snap Map, where you can see where your friends have been and where Snapchat was last used. This raised concerns with some parents we spoke to, worried that strangers could use it to track their children, but by default, the location settings are turned off for all Snapchatters – not only those under 18. If you decide to turn them on, it’s only friends who can see your location, and you can choose to share it with only a select number of them.
Evie explains, “If your location's on, you can see when someone was last online or what their location was when they last looked at Snapchat. Sometimes you have to turn it off if you go out with friends, because other people can get funny if they're not invited. And if you were online 5 minutes ago, but a message has been left undelivered for 10 minutes, people are like, why haven't you replied?”
“I only have location enabled for my friends. Sometimes I'll turn it on for just for my mum because she likes to look at that,” says Grace. Snapchat recently added a new safety feature called Homesafe, which sends a message to the people you select once you get to a certain location. Parents might find this a useful way to know their teenager has arrived at a place of safety, without the teen needing to remember to send a message, for example, if they’re staying over at a friend’s house after a night out.
To freeze your location on Snapchat, you can turn it off using the Ghost Mode settings in Snap Map or by going on your device settings.
Can you see saved messages on Snapchat?
The disappearing messages on Snapchat can pose some etiquette problems which might explain your teenager being stressed out over their phone. “On Snapchat you get a notification if someone screenshots your message or if they screen record the chat,” says Grace. “It will say Grace has sent you a chat and then if you want to see it but not open it you have to half-swipe it.”
Half-swiping is a way of carefully reading the message without the sender knowing you have read it. This buys you some time to craft a reply without the sender thinking you’re ignoring them. And if you want to share a snap with friends for advice on how to reply, they’ve found a workaround for the technology. “It’s complicated,” laughs Grace, “but you can screen record, half swipe, go off the chat and when you're in the screen recorder you can screenshot the bit where it shows the message and then send it to your friends.”
We need to talk to children about how they address people online, not only because that’s the right way to behave, but also because there will often be a record, and it could catch up with them.” - Ghislaine Bombusa - Internet Matters,
“I would probably usually just copy it out from memory because I'm too scared that they'll see that I've screen recorded it,” adds Evie.
Ghislaine points out that teens could be tempted be less careful about what messages are sent, if the perception is that they will never be seen again. “Of course teenagers have worked out ways to save messages, and it’s important that teens speak to each other online as kindly and politely as they would in real life. That’s where parents come in – we need to talk to children about how they address people online, not only because that’s the right way to behave, but also because there will often be a record, and it could catch up with them.”
What are streaks on Snapchat?
“You can have snap streaks with people,” Evie explains. “It’s how many days you've sent a snap to each other. It's quite nice, because it allows you to stay in contact with people that you might not speak to every day.”
“People can get quite obsessive with it as well,” warns Grace. “Like they would just be watching telly and replying to every single snap, sending a picture of the wall or their finger or whatever. I don't think it happens as much now we’re in Sixth Form, but in Year 11, if you were going away where you wouldn’t have internet, people would give you their login to do their snaps so they wouldn’t lose their streak.”
For parents, it could be helpful to understand that losing a snap streak breaks some important social expectations, particularly for younger teens, so when the internet goes down or there’s a power cut, some of their distress may come from being unable to keep these bonds going.
“Losing a streak can be a real source of anxiety for teenagers and it feels like it can break friendships, especially for young teens,” agrees Ghislaine. “I would advise parents to be sympathetic and talk to their child about how they feel when this happens. Perhaps encourage your teen to broach the subject with their friends when they first get the platform, to agree that neither of them needs the pressure of keeping a number of days to prove their friendship is strong.”
What does the green dot on Snapchat mean?
According to Snapchat, the green dot shows up on a friend's avatar to indicate that they've been active on Snapchat recently, and will show up unless they disable it. This feature means Snapchat users can see if their friends have been active on the app recently. Knowing this can sometimes feed into the worries Evie and Grace have already mentioned about being ignored or 'left on read' - meaning you know someone has read, but hasn't replied to your message.
roblok
Whilst they can be a great way for friends to socialise, online games like Roblox that allow multiplayer gameplay with strangers are always fraught with a variety of dangers that can expose children to inappropriate or harmful content. Roblox enables people to play anonymously, which can often be something that attracts people to misuse the game and potentially put young people at risk of harm.
In addition to interacting with random strangers across the world, other factors such as in-game purchases and potential scams can also pose a financial risk. It’s important that parents and educators remain aware of the risks associated with this popular title and how it can be used safely. This guide – also available in podcast format – offers parents and educators expert advice on what can be done to ensure that young people have a safe and enjoyable experience with Roblox.
PARENT AND CARER GUIDE TO ROBLOX
EA FC 26
With new kits, updated squads and refined gameplay, EA FC 26 brings the thrill of top-tier football to living rooms once again. While it continues to offer family-friendly fun in modes like Kick-Off and Career, the ongoing popularity of Ultimate Team – where players spend money to build fantasy squads – brings a mix of excitement and risks.
Children can encounter issues such as gambling-like mechanics, voice chat with strangers, and potential exposure to scams. This guide breaks down the game’s most important features, highlights the key risks to be aware of, and shares practical advice for helping young players stay safe while gaming and interacting online.