Is Tumblr Safe? Everything Parents Need to Know About It

Like other social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and others, the safety of Tumblr for kids has to do with the number of work parents and guardians are willing to commit to ensuring that they adequately censor the information their kids watch. In addition, Tumblr’s distinct features attract many teens, which sets it apart from the picture-driven or quips options offered by Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. Is tumblr safe for my child – that is the main question!

Tumblr is a microblogging site that makes posting short text, blogs, links, GIFs, and other content easy. The requirement of setting up a Tumblr account is simple, and all you have is your email, password, and username. The fact that age is verified based on information provided makes it possible for children who aren’t up to 13 years to open accounts once they lie on their age. 

Parents need to pay cursory attention to the contents their wards watch on the website. It is noteworthy that the site has banned pornographic content in 2018. However, kids are still susceptible to quips or quotes with offensive content. 

What Is Tumblr, and Why Is It Popular?

Tumblr is a microblogging site that allows for easy posting of short text, blogs, links, GIFs, music, videos, images, and other content. The contents featured on Tumblr are often faster than those posted on other blogs and longer than quips synonymous with sites like Twitter. Users of Tumblr can post self-created content while also liking and commenting on posts made by others. You can also reblog posts, which is akin to the option available on Facebook.

Who Can Use Tumblr?

Anyone above the age of 13 can sign up on Tumblr. However, like other social media platforms, there is no natural way to confirm the age as only the details entered are verified, which means that kids can lie about their age to view content on Tumblr. This moment is one of the dangers of Tumblr, as even the seemingly harmless lewd comments or snide remarks may affect kids negatively. Nevertheless, the Tumblr blog age helps set the tune for people who can register. 

How Popular Is Tumblr with Kids?

Compared to other social media platforms, Tumblr has the highest number of young users. Over 45 percent of its audience are under the age of 35. It is also more popular when compared to sites like Facebook for users between ages 13 and 25. Tumblr also has many female users to male users though it attracts teens and adults of varying gender and background. 

How Can Parents Help Kids Use Tumblr Safely?

Keeping Tumblr for kids safe cannot be achieved by mere wishful thinking. As a parent, you need to be committed to involving yourself in your kids’ digital lives. Featuring appropriately in your kids’ social media lives is dependent on your parenting style. It would help if you didn’t appear to be overbearing as it often makes children rebellious. Instead, it would be best if you took the time to explain the intricacies of these social media platforms to your kids and proceed to set specific limits on the exposure of your kids to these sites. For example, you can set time limits to minimize your children’s screen time on Tumblr. You can also make rules about when they can access these individual platforms. If you discover that your kid is already a user on Tumblr or you believe that they are ready to shoulder the responsibility of social networking, you may adhere to the below-stated tips to ensure that they are safe.

Regular Discussions

Take time to explain to your kids the importance of responsible use of social media networks. You can impress this on them by explaining that whatever content they put out today could come to haunt them in the future. Teach them to be conscious of the information they share or the content they expose. 

Ensure to Keep Privacy and Safety a Top Concern

Make sure your kids are safety conscious by limiting the data they share on public platforms. To make Tumblr safer to use, it is pertinent that you make realistic rules regarding things that are off-limits, such as names, addresses, locations, and other information that one can use for personal identification. In addition, ensure they refrain from discussing private matters with strangers on the net who might eventually use such information to affect them. 

Ensure Conformity 

Not only kids can conform to specific rules on social media. Therefore, it would be best also to endeavor to live by what you preach. For example, make sure you do not share personal information on Tumblr. Thus, if you want your kids to obey the established rules, it is best if you set the standards for them to follow. 

Apps to Monitor Your Teen’s Web Activity

With the persistent rise in the number of damaging contents that children can watch, parents are responsible for taking special care to monitor their Teen child activity on the web to be perfectly primed to steer them effectively off the course damage. To achieve this effectively, you need to use apps designed to help you ward off unwanted content from the sights of your kids, at least until they are capable of making conscious decisions for themselves. Useful tools you can use are outlined below.

Net Nanny

It is available on PC, Android, and iOS devices. Net Nanny is perfectly equipped to help parents manage their kids’ screen time and block specific apps while filtering online content. The family feed option allows parents to watch what their kids are up to. At the same time, offering alerts on content involving suicide, porn, and other nefarious acts.

MamaBear

MamaBear allows parents to track their kids’ location while also alerting parents when their kids arrive at a specific location. It will also enable parents to monitor their kid’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter activity and incorporate a restricted word list that informs parents when somebody uses an inappropriate word on any platform.

Kaspersky Safe Kids

The Kaspersky Safe Kids app can work on Windows, Mac, and mobile apps, enabling parents to block off certain websites from their children’s view while also managing screen time and time spent on any app. The Facebook report option also allows parents to monitor kids’ posts and new friends. It also has a GPS tracker that alerts parents when their kids leave specific locations they are not supposed to. 

Other monitoring apps include OurPact and Qustodio, allowing parents to limit interference when their kids study and limit time spent on each app.

Conclusion

So is Tumblr safe? It is the same case as when the user asks about other social media networks. The onus of responsibility falls on the parents to monitor their kids’ exposure to social media platforms like Tumblr. Monitoring and setting Tumblr parental controls could help minimize undue exposure of kids to damaging content. Therefore, parents and guardians should keep their eyes on their children to ensure that they do not venture into the dark side of Tumblr. Setting screen time limits and generally advising kids on the negative effect of sharing personal or ill content on Tumblr can help you. Tumblr for kids can thus be made safe by adhering to the mentioned guidelines.