Hi everyone!
If you’re in the US I hope you had a Happy 4th of July last week! Today I’m catching parents up on Threads: what it is, whether or not you need to care about it and how to proceed from a digital parenting perspective. Ok let’s dive in!
Overview
Threads is a text based conversation app. Its created by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. It launched last Wednesday and according to the The Verge yesterday, it has already surpassed 100M users. By all accounts that’s ALOT in a very short amount of time. Threads was built by the Instagram team and was designed to be an extension of it. The two apps share some DNA specifically when it comes to content moderation.
How to set it up
Threads can be used either by itself or in conjunction with Instagram. Once you download it from your app store, if you or your kid already have an Instagram account, it will ask for permission to access data from that account in order to create a profile. Then, when you go back to Instagram you’ll see what # user you are on your Instagram profile like on mine shown above.
If you don’t have an Instagram account or don’t want to use your Instagram account, you can follow the prompts to set up a new account from scratch. Once the setup process is complete, users can start composing text “Threads” and connecting with other users.
A few important details
From reading the press and reviews + playing around without myself for the last several days, here are a few details I want to highlight:
The typical concerns associated with social media still apply when it comes to Threads BUT direct messaging (DMs) is NOT currently available. That’s one less thing to worry about— at least for now.
Multiple connected accounts are currently not possible on Threads, so we’ll all have to pick one account for now. I used my @digitalmomming account not my personal account to set mine up.
If you set up a Threads account through an Instagram account but then decide to delete the Threads account, it will delete the Instagram account as well. Be warned!
Parental Controls
There are currently very limited parental controls on Threads although I expect this to change as the app evolves.
According to Bark which did a very thorough review of the parental controls (full review here), users under 16 will be automatically funneled into a private profile. That’s great but here’s the bad news, its not passcode protected nor accessible from a parent account so any kid can easily change them.
To set up parental controls go into your kids profile settings and click in Privacy. In there you’ll see options for:
Private profile: When switched on. only approved followers can see and interact with your kid’s content.
Mentions: Choose whether people can “@” or mention your kid in threads, replies, or bios.
Muted: When you mute someone, you won’t see any of their content, but they can still see yours.
Hidden words: Manage whether comments show up on your kid’s feed if they contain offensive words (or custom words you choose).
Blocked profiles: Completely block someone from showing up in your kid’s Threads experience. Also they won’t be able to see you kid’s content.
Hide likes: Prevent your kid’s content from displaying view counts and likes.
My $0.02
Despite easily deactivated parental controls available at launch, IMO, Threads seems like a relatively safe platform for teens at present— at least from a communication perspective since there’s no DM’ing. Its close ties to Facebook and Instagram and the public complaining about its squeaky clean-ness give me give me hope that its more likely headed towards being a ‘safe space’ for users than a wild-west like Twitter.
Being too safe could mean it doesn’t quite take off as a true Twitter alternative for the universe or frankly for teens but from a parenting perspective—love the word safe.
Being too safe could also fuel a pivot toward more permissiveness if it results in slower growth than expected.
I would assume DMs will become available at some point which would open up more safety risks although this wouldn’t make Threads any more risky than what’s already out there.
My $0.02 contains ALOT of speculation—so just keep an eye on Threads if your kid is using it.
What you can do
Stay informed - As with any new device or app, it’s important to stay informed about its features and any new updates in order to ensure its safe for your kid.
Talk to your kid - about what worries you about social media apps in general AND ALSO talk to them about what they like and what they’re doing on their apps of choice.
Get on it— If your kid is on Threads, get on there too. Or get on there first and decide if its right for them.
Get aligned with other parents. Check in with the parents of your kid’s friends. What do they think about Threads? How are they dealing with social media in their houses?
Further reading
2 of my favorite tech writers on Substack also covered Threads this week:
Rachel Richardson’s High Flammable- here
Casey Newton’s Platformer- here
Check them out!
Free subscribers: thanks for reading! I’ll see you next week! Paying subscribers: you get an additional section this week that includes my hot take on all the other Twitter alternatives that I’ve been keeping my eye on this year.
Love,
Sarah
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