What Is Tumblr? What Parents Need to Know?
Tumblr might just be the coolest mix of blogging and social networking out there, drawing in teens with its creativity and individuality. But as a parent, you might be curious—or even a bit worried—about what your kids are actually doing on there. This article breaks down what Tumblr is all about, from the fun stuff to the potential pitfalls, so you can stay in the loop and help your teen have a safe and positive experience.
Overview of Tumblr
Tumblr is many things at once. At its core, the website, launched in February 2007, is nothing more than a microblogging platform. A platform where users can post text, images, photographs, videos, and many other forms of content.
In this way, each user creates their own personal or thematic blog through the entries. But, in addition, users can follow the blogs of other users and interact, which means that Tumblr is a social network as well.
Tumblr is a microblogging platform that allows users to post content online in a quick and easy way. The platform focuses on visual and multimedia content, making it an ideal platform for sharing photos, GIFs, videos, and short text.
It has an easy-to-use user interface that allows users to create and customize their own blogs, follow other users, and share content with the community.
What Is the Minimum Age for Tumblr?
Tumblr restricts children under 13 from participating in the platform in most countries.
In the European Union and the United Kingdom, the restriction is stricter and does not allow children under 16. There is a compelling reason for this: some content and activities on Tumblr are not suitable for young people.
What Will Teens See on Tumblr?
Art and Creative Communities
Such communities are based on original artworks, photography, designs and digital illustrations. Teens might follow artists or photographers who share their creations or tutorials. Such communities can prove fruitful for your kids as they can allow them to show their work to other members and connect with other young artists.
Memes and Humor Communities
Without a doubt, Tumblr is quite famous for its blogs that are dedicated to sharing funny text posts, memes and GIFs. Such spaces are usually light-hearted and encourage playful interactions among their followers.
Fandom Communities
Fandoms are groups of people who share a passion for a specific TV show, movie, book, or celebrity. In these communities, teens might find fan fiction, fan art, theories, and detailed discussions about their favorite media. Fandoms on Tumblr can be highly interactive, with users creating and sharing content that expands on their shared interests.
LGBTQ+ Communities
Tumblr has a strong presence of LGBTQ+ communities that provide support, advocacy, and representation. Teens might encounter blogs and users who discuss LGBTQ+ experiences, share personal stories, offer advice, and promote acceptance.
Does Tumblr Has Safety Features?
Yes! Tumblr offers content filtering options. By enabling them, Tumblr will "try its best" not to show your child explicit content.
It's ironic, but despite Tumblr's best efforts, it's easy to get explicit results when you search posts. In fact, with parental controls, we got results like those only found on notorious pornographic websites. But again, if you want to use these options, here's how:
Step 1. Go to Tumblr.com and log into your child's account.
Step 2. Click on "Settings" and scroll down to "Content you see."
Step 3. Here, you can add keywords to "Filtered Tags" and "Filtered Post Content."
By doing this, the first option allows you to enter harmful hashtags you want to remove from your child's searches. The second option allows you to enter inappropriate phrases you want blocked. Posts containing these hashtags and phrases will not appear in your child's search results.
Step 4. Now, scroll down a little further, you'll come to "Community labels."
Tumblr gives you options to control what posts your child can see on Tumblr. You can show, blur, or hide posts that contain the terms "Mature," "Drug and Alcohol Addiction," "Violence," and "Sexual Themes."
Step 5. These options are set to "Hide" by default, but if your child has messed with them, make sure you set them back to "Hide."
Step 6. Last, remember to toggle on "Hide additional potentially adult content" below to increase security measures.
Potential Risks Teens May Face on Tumblr
- Seeing Mature Content. Tumblr has a mix of everything, which means teens might stumble upon stuff that's explicit or inappropriate for their age.
- Dealing with Cyberbullying. Just like on other social media, there's a chance of running into online harassment or bullying.
- Privacy Issues. Teens might share personal info without realizing it could be misused by others.
- Impact on Mental Health. Some content, like posts promoting self-harm or unrealistic body images, can negatively affect mental well-being.
- Talking to Strangers. With Tumblr's focus on community, teens could end up chatting with people they don’t know, which might not always be safe.
- Too Much Screen Time. The never-ending stream of content can lead to spending way too much time on the platform and even become addictive.
Tips to Guide Your Child's Safe Use of Tumblr
As we have discussed, using Tumblr can bring various potential risks to teens. On the little ones, their impact is even more enormous.
As a parent, it is therefore your duty to take preventive measures. And one of the most important measures you can take is to have a detailed discussion with your kid so that you can guide them on how they can stay safe and use Tumblr reasonably:
Teach them how to identify harmful or inappropriate content
Talk to your kids and educate them on the types of content that are not appropriate for their age and encourage them to come to you if they encounter something concerning.
Show them how to report inappropriate content
Teach your child on how they can report content that seems inappropriate to them.
Step 1. To do this, guide your child to click on the three dots at the top of the post that they want to report.
Step 2. From the options shown, they can click on the "Report" button.
Step 3. Then click submit to successfully report that post.
Show them how to block users
Tumblr allows users to block or report abusive users and content. Blocking users who send inappropriate messages can help your child prevent harmful content from appearing in their message boxes.
If your child doesn't know how to block or report users, teach them how. It's very simple; just click the three dots (...) button in the top left corner of that specific chat. Then you can select "Block" or "Report."
Use Parental Control Apps
As we have mentioned earlier, enabling content filtering features on Tumblr will not be sufficient and your kids still might encounter inappropriate content.
To make sure that your child is safe on all social media platforms, you can use third-party parental control apps like the AirDroid Parental Control App. It offers many features that can really help you out in monitoring and managing your kids' online activity.
Discuss Online Safety
Beside taking all the precautionary measures, it's important to have a discussion with your kids after regular intervals about online safety. Remind them not to share personal information and keep them aware of the consequences that it can bring. Also teach them to be wary of strangers, and to think critically about the content they engage with online.
Key Takeaway
In wrapping up, Tumblr is a unique mix of blogging and social networking where users can share all kinds of content, from text to multimedia. For parents, it's important to get a handle on what Tumblr offers and be aware of the potential risks, like exposure to mature content or stranger interactions.
Parents can enable content filtering features on their kid's Tumblr to block inappropriate content. And to further enhance their protection, they can monitor their children's social media activities through parental control apps like AirDroid Parental Control.
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