Reddit is a popular social media platform with hundreds of millions of users across several thousand communities. These communities are filled with content related to a specific niche, which can vary widely across communities. As such, Reddit cannot guarantee the suitability of its content for people of all ages. To this end, Reddit imposes various age-related limits regarding accessing some or all of its content.
Reddit age rating
Reddit puts an age limit of 13 on its platform, so users must be at least 13 years of age to use Reddit. In addition, browsing some aspects of Reddit requires users to be even older than 13 years of age. However, Reddit does not implement any age-verification system, and people who do not have a Reddit account may still be able to access and read some of Reddit’s content.
Because of this, even younger children may easily find their way to some Reddit content without an account. However, they will be unable to engage with other Reddit users.
Keeping children safe on Reddit
It is a fact that Reddit contains unsuitable and inappropriate content for children and even adults. However, restricting your kids from accessing Reddit or forcing them to delete their accounts may spur them to want to use it even more, exposing them to dangerous content and opinions.
Alternatively, it is advisable to help them use the app in a more controlled fashion and remain in the know concerning what they do on the app. Here are some essential tips that you can employ to keep your wards safe concerning Reddit.
Oversee your ward’s Reddit account
It is advisable that you create your kids’ Reddit account with them or at least request access to them if you decide to create an account. This helps you control the website or app settings and monitor what your wards are doing on the platform.
To create an account, go to the Reddit website or download the Reddit mobile app and click “Sign Up.” You will need a functional email address and a password of your choosing. Alternatively, you can sign up with a google or Apple ID account. If you choose to sign up with your email, click on submit. The next page will request your preferred username and password. If you or your wards do not have a username, Reddit offers some already made-up usernames. The next step is to input your choice password and click “Sign up.”
Secure your child’s Reddit account
Reddit does not contain any advanced parental control settings. However, some settings can help you adjust the platform to help your kid stay safe. These settings make your ward’s profile more private, filter out mature content, lower data tracking, and restrict strangers from requesting to connect.
They may still be able to view content without restrictions if they log out of the account, so it is vital to encourage them to remain logged in when using Reddit.
To secure your wards’ account, you can turn off “Content Visibility” and “Active in communities” visibility. This will keep your wards more anonymous online. Reddit will automatically save your changes. To turn them off, locate the dropdown icon next to your username icon at the top right corner of the screen. Clicking on the dropdown will reveal links, including your “online status,” your profile, and a link to your avatar. Below these links is the “user settings” link.
Clicking on user settings will take you to a page with multiple options, including “account,” “profile,” “safety and privacy,” “feed settings,” “notifications,” “subscriptions,” and “chat and messaging.” Ideally, you will arrive at the “account” section, so click on the “profile” instead.
Scroll down till you find content visibility and active in communities under the “Advanced” category. Click on the toggles to turn off both preferences.
The next step is to select “Safety & Privacy” and deselect all the options, so your Reddit does not use your wards’ activity to offer them personalized ads and recommendations.
After this, scroll down a bit to turn on two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the account. Two-factor authorization requires an authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Authy. You will be guided to set it up when you toggle it on. First, you will be prompted to enter your password.
Afterwards, you will require the authenticator app to get a verification code which you will input in the verification box to complete the setup.
After this process, return to the “Safety and Privacy” screen and click “Manage third-party app authorization” at the bottom. This will enable you to remove permission for connected accounts, so the platform does not share your wards’ data across accounts.
You may also turn off adult content to ensure they do not get access to it. You can do this by clicking on “Feed Settings” and toggling off “Adult content” so it does not come up in your child’s feed or search results.
Report posts and comments
Your wards may still encounter hateful content or bullying despite the safety settings above. As a result, teach them to report such occasions. Reddit enables users to report offensive posts and comments.
To report offensive posts, you can simply look at the options below the offensive post. The options usually include the comment numbers “Award,” “Share,” and “Save.” Clicking on the icon will reveal two more options: “Hide” and “Report.” Clicking on “report” will report the post to Reddit.
Reporting comments are very similar to reporting posts. Comments typically contain the same options below them, such as “Permalink,” “Embed,” “Save,” Report,” “Give award,” and “Reply” on the old Reddit website design and “Reply,” “Give Award,” “Share,” “Report,” “Save,” and “Follow.” on either platform, simply select “report” to report any relevant comment to Reddit.
Other than reporting posts and comments, you can block users so they can no longer contact your wards. Teach your child how to do this so they can manage their contacts on the platform. You can block a user by clicking on such user’s username, which is usually above their posts.
Click on it to go to such a user’s profile. Here you will see several options on the right-side panel, including following and chatting with the user. Click on “more options” to reveal the block feature. Selecting it will promptly block the user.
