Check the age restrictions on social media platforms

Before registering as a user, make sure that the social media platform is suitable for children and familiarise yourself with the website's terms of use, including age restrictions. For example, a number of popular social media platforms (Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and TikTok) authorise the creation of an account if the child is at least 13 years old.

At what age are children ready?

The Study of Children’s Rights and Parenting asked children when young people are ready to create profiles on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. For children, the average age was 11.7, but adults said it should be 12.9. Children think that they are ready earlier, but we must consider that a child might not understand the dangers, consequences and protection measures involved with data processing, which makes parental guidance very important.

In Estonia, it is permitted to create a social media account when a child is at least 13 years old; for younger children, this is only allowed with the consent of a legal guardian. Therefore, it is important that parents educate themselves on how social media works, how to assess possible risks and what their child is doing there, even when the child is aged 13 or over.

Privacy settings

It is important to establish a trusting relationship between parents and children so that the children receive the advice and support they need from their parents while being active in the digital environment. Check the privacy settings of social media applications and make the account private.

Many social media applications automatically make the account public when created, meaning everybody can access everything you post. We recommend making your account private so that only the people to whom you give permission can see what you post. Children’s accounts should be made private.

Agree on the rules

Set some ground rules for using social media with your child and make sure that both of you follow them. These rules should be agreed on in line with your child’s age and adapted as they get older and their skills and knowledge increase.

Talk to your child about how they want to connect with you and other family members on social media and what information (including photos and videos) they should share about themselves and their family.

Remember that the internet is a public space. Before making a post, you must review its content and think about who the information might reach. All information can be saved and shared at any point in time by anybody who can see it. Before sharing a photo or video of somebody online, you must ask for their permission first.

Be interested in your child’s activities and be present for them

Your child must feel that they can always talk to their family and friends no matter what happens. Always try to understand before judging. Discuss what is happening in the digital world daily with your child, and encourage them to turn to you if they have any questions. If you do not have all the answers, try to find them. It is easier to solve any problems that might arise together. Familiarise yourself with the safety measures and terms of use of the applications, including the possibility of notifying the administrator of the environment, which you will find in the instructions above.

Estonian-language instructions on how to change the privacy settings of the most popular social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, WhatsApp, ASKfm) have been created by the Estonian Union for Child Welfare as part of the project “Smartly on the Web”. The instructions state the age limitations of the applications, how to make accounts private, how to inform people within the application and how to receive advice and help. The instructions are available on the Estonian Safer Internet Centre’s website.

Find out more about the work of the Estonian Safer Internet Centre, including their awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.