Is Reddit Safe? Should Your Child Use It?

Launched in 2005, Reddit has become a popular social news aggregation and discussion platform. Users on the platform are referred to as Redditors. They can submit text posts, links, videos, and images on different topics.

Well, as a parent, what should you know about Reddit, and is Reddit safe for kids? Let's uncover!

Although the official Reddit age limit is 13 years or older, this app is rated as 17+ on both Play Store and App Store due to mature content (also called NSFW on Reddit). Plus, there is no age verification process required. 

Now, scroll down to learn more about Reddit.

Potential Risks of Reddit for Kids

Is Reddit safe for kids to use? How safe is Reddit for kids? To answer these questions, just look at some risks that your kid might encounter while using Reddit:

NSFW Content

NSFW, short for Not Safe for Work, refers to content containing nudity, pornography, profanity, and other inappropriate things on Reddit. Understandably, NSFW content is not suitable to be viewed by users under 18.

For this reason, if you still ask - is Reddit safe for kids? We can answer "NO". With an important note: Reddit allows users to prevent NSFW by adjusting settings.

Cyberbullying

Although measures are taken to curb cyberbullying on Reddit, the platform can be a big breeding ground for it, and the reasons are obvious.

First, users can hide behind usernames to insult others. Secondly, some subreddits can attract trolling or negativity.

Lastly, receiving downvotes for a post can feel like public humiliation, especially for children looking for social acceptance online.

Misleading

Reddit is a large platform that provides a wide range of information. However, not all information on the platform is accurate. Accessing such information can be risky for children because they are too young to identify the truth of information.

Plus, misleading information on Reddit can also support unhealthy habits. For example, misinformation about diet, health, or safety can hurt the well-being of a child. 

Privacy Leakage

While offering some levels of anonymity, Reddit can lead to privacy leaks for children. How can this happen? When kids post videos or pictures revealing their habits or surroundings, it can make it easier for unscrupulous platform users to identify them. Also, engaging with strangers online can expose kids to inappropriate people or content.

💡 Understanding How Reddit Moderates Its Content

• Volunteer moderators manage subreddits by setting and enforcing the rules for the community.
• Reddit's upvote and downvote system helps to support high-quality content and push down harmful content.
• Reddit's admins who enforce site-wide rules and regulations. They often handle extreme cases and use automated tools to identify illegal or spam content.
• Reddit's automated tools to identify and prevent content against its policy.

4 Tips to Keep Your Kids Safe on Reddit

Now that you know the potential danger associated with using the app for kids, how do you keep your child safe while they are using Reddit?

First thing first – before allowing your kids to use Reddit, make sure they are at least 13 years old. Then, utilize these 4 methods:

1Filter Reddit NSFW Content

Although Reddit does not offer parental controls, you can manage the type of content your child sees. Reddit has a built-in content filter to help you disable NSFW content. So, how do you get this done?

This will hide inappropriate content on your child's Reddit. But please note that the filter relies primarily on users flagging content as NSFW, which may not be perfect. Moreover, for some tech-savvy children, this can be easily disabled and bypassed.

2Limit Sensitive Ads

To reduce exposure to ads that might be upsetting or inappropriate for kids, Reddit allows you to limit ads from some categories. Here is how to restrict these ads:

3Report Offensive Content

It is crucial to teach your child to report offensive content they may come across on Reddit. Let them know they can come to you if they see something that upsets them, but also tell them the steps to report the content themselves.

To report the post or comment they feel uncomfortable, find and tap the "Report" button below the post or comment. On the mobile app, the Report button is the three vertical dots and (...) on the Desktop.

4Monitor How Your Child Uses Reddit

While enabling Reddit's built-in safe settings for your kid is key, being aware of your kid's Reddit activity is also important. To do so, AirDroid Parental Control could be your powerful assistant.

Its "Social Content Detection" feature triggers instant alerts when your child searches or browses content containing customized keywords on Reddit. Here's how:

Should Your Child Use It?

No, because Reddit doesn't limit mature content, plus some intense discussions may lead to cyberbullying. However, if your child has been an avid Reddit user, we strongly recommend you take the above 4 safety measures to make your child's Reddit safe.

Here are the excerpts from the Reddit discussion: Testing out Reddit to know if my kids can be safe on it.