CHECKLIST · ABOUT 15 MIN.
Your First Social Media Account
Review together, set up safely, and discuss again after 30 days.
Outcome: A personal start checklist with settings, family rules, and a review date.
Your first social media account is more than just a new profile.
Kids and teens encounter friends, trends, videos, news, comments, unknown contacts, and public attention there.
This guide will help you decide together if it's the right time to set up an account thoughtfully and establish clear rules for messages, pictures, contacts, purchases, and asking for help.
AI-generated contentWhat you'll achieve in the end
After this guide, you will have:
- checked if the child and family are ready
- thoughtfully chosen a suitable platform
- reviewed age requirements and account model
- set up privacy, messaging, and contacts
- discussed rules for photos, posts, purchases, and asking for help
- scheduled a date for the 30-day review
- prepared appropriate rules for the family phone plan
1. Are you ready?
It's not just about age. It's important that the child understands that content can be saved, shared, and made public — and that the adults are ready to support them as they start.
If several answers still say 'Not yet', it might be a good idea to look at content together first, use a supervised account, or delay getting started. This isn't a diagnosis — just some guidance.
2. Choose the Right Platform Wisely
Not every platform works the same way. Some focus on videos, others on private messages, images, livestreams, groups, or public reach.
- What does the child want to do on the platform?
- Which friends are using it?
- Are there private messages?
- Can strangers contact them?
- Is the content public?
- Are there livestreams?
- Are there purchases or subscriptions?
- Are there official family or supervision features?
- Is the platform suitable for the child's previous digital experience?
Video und Unterhaltung
Kurze Videos, Empfehlungsfeeds, Challenges und Livestreams.
TikTok, YouTube, YouTube Kids
Fotos und soziale Profile
Profile, Stories, Markierungen, Direktnachrichten und Sichtbarkeit.
Instagram, Snapchat
Chats und Gemeinschaften
Nachrichten, Gruppen, Voice-Chats und unbekannte Kontakte.
WhatsApp, Discord
Gaming-nahe Plattformen
Freundeslisten, Voice-Chat, Käufe und Kontakte in Spielen.
Roblox, Fortnite, Discord
3. Check Age and Account Model
Check the current official age limit for the platform and the rules that apply in your country. An age limit doesn't automatically mean the platform is suitable for every child of that age.
4. Set Up Your Profile Safely
A profile picture, username, and bio can reveal more than families might think at first. Start as privately and sparingly as possible.
- Choose a username that doesn't include your real address, school, or phone number
- Use a profile picture that doesn't show any identifiable features of your home or school
- Keep your bio short — avoid sharing personal details
- Check recovery options and enable two-factor authentication
- Make sure your password is unique and never share it with friends
Conversation Starter: What information about you should strangers really be able to see?
5. Messages and New Contacts
Direct messages can often be the riskiest part. Set rules for who can message you—and what to do about unknown contacts.
- Limit or filter messages from strangers
- Review friend and group requests together
- Never send private pictures to unknown people
- Never share confirmation codes
- Try blocking and reporting together
Warning Signs in Messages
- someone is asking to keep secrets from parents
- someone is offering gifts, money, or 'special help'
- someone is asking for private pictures
- someone wants to quickly switch to another platform
- someone is suggesting a meeting or applying pressure
Conversation Starter: What would you do if someone you don't know messages you?
6. Visibility and Discoverability
Public profiles and recommendation features make your connections and content visible to people outside your friend circle.
Conversation Starter: Who can find your profile — and who can't?
7. Posts, Stories, and Challenges
Before you post anything online: take a moment to think. Once something is shared, it can be saved, forwarded, or taken out of context.
Conversation Starter: Would you be okay with this being online in a year?
8. Share Your Location Wisely
Location features are useful — but sensitive. Live location, maps, and embedded metadata are settings that families often overlook.
- Share your live location only for a short time and only with people you trust.
- Set device permissions to 'While using the app' whenever possible.
- Understand map features (like Snap Map) and consider using Ghost Mode.
- Think carefully before tagging your location in posts and stories.
Conversation Starter: When is sharing your location really helpful — and when is it unnecessary?
9. Recognizing Wellbeing and Pressure
Social media can connect us — but it can also lead to comparison, pressure, or disrupt sleep. Pay attention to its effects, not just the minutes spent.
- Limit notifications, especially at night
- Set aside time for breaks and phone-free moments
- Talk about likes, streaks, and pressure to compare
- Check in if you notice a big mood change after scrolling
Possible Warning Signs
- Trouble sleeping or using devices secretly at night
- Withdrawing from friends or hobbies
- Fear of missing notifications
- Repeated uncomfortable interactions or bullying
- Pressure to buy, participate in challenges, or follow risky trends
- Secrecy and sudden defensiveness when asked questions
Conversation Starter: How do you usually feel after using the app?
10. Block, Report, and Ask for Help
Children and parents should know where to find the block and report options, how to secure helpful information, and when to reach out to a trusted adult or professional for help. A safety check is only complete when both children and parents understand how to ask for help.
- When you show us something difficult, we will listen first.
- We won't automatically punish you with an account suspension.
- We will help you with blocking, reporting, and any next steps.
Finding Together
Practice the key ways together. This way, your child knows where to find privacy settings, how to block someone, and how to report issues—before anything happens.
Menu names may change. If you're unsure, refer to the app's safety guide and the official help from the platform.
Get help right away for
- Threats or blackmail
- Sexual requests or intimate images
- Forced meetings or stalking
- Severe distress or signs of self-harm/suicide
- Immediate danger to life — call emergency services
- stay calm and listen
- secure evidence (messages, username, date) — without sharing sensitive images unnecessarily
- block and report
- change your password if an account seems compromised
- use helplines or official reporting channels
- contact emergency services if there is immediate danger
11. Your Social Media Rules
Choose rules that you really want to stick to. You can write down details and exceptions in your family phone agreement.
12. Review Together After 30 Days
The first review should take place after about 30 days. After that, it's a good idea to check in together every three to six months or whenever the platform makes important changes.
A review isn't an interrogation. Start by asking what’s going well — and only then ask what could be improved.
Your Social Media Starter Plan
- Ready
- Ready with conditions
- Selected Platform
- —
- Account Model
- —
- Review
- 2026-10-17
Next Steps
- Priority 1: Plattform und Kontomodell festlegen
- Priority 2: Profil privat und sparsam einrichten
Conversation
- Privatsphäre
- Unbekannte Kontakte
- Was tun, wenn etwas schiefläuft
0 / 7 Einstellungsbereiche als erledigt markiert
Set Up the Platform the Right Way
Opens the right app safety guide and checks the current settings step by step.
Open App Safety GuideThere you will find detailed settings, options to block/report, and official sources.
Establishing Shared Rules
In the family phone agreement, you can set clear rules for contacts, posts, purchases, screen time, privacy, and asking for help.
Related Resources
App Safety Guides
Privacy, messaging, contacts, purchases, and family features — explained step by step for the most important apps.
Family Phone Agreement
A shared promise — not a punishment. Rules apply to everyone. Clarity, trust, and safe habits.
Privacy Check-Up
A quick check for profiles, messages, location, and device access — no security guarantee.
Password and Account Security
Strong passphrases, secure recovery, two-factor protection — and a clear plan for emergencies.
Conversation Guides
How to start, what to ask, what to avoid — and how to respond to anger, silence, or shame.
Unknown Contact
Protect private information, recognize warning signs, and seek help in time.
Cyberbullying
Immediate steps for kids and teens — and calm, clear support for parents.
Screen Time Without Power Struggles
Understand where conflicts arise — then set clear rules in the family phone agreement.
Platform features, age requirements, and menu names may change. If you notice any differences, check the linked official information from the platform.
This guide provides general educational and organizational support. It is not a guarantee of safety and does not replace professional legal, psychological, or emergency advice.