What should parents look for in their child's digital footprint?
In your child's digital footprint, look first for anything that shows where they can be found, like a school uniform or badge, a street name, a location tag, or a team sheet with full names. Then look at who can comment on their posts, what photos other people have posted of them, and any account using their name or photo that isn't theirs.
Include your own posts. The photos you shared when they were small are part of their footprint too.
How do you search for what's public about your child?
To find what's public about your child, open a private browser window and sign out first. Type their full name in quotes, then add their school or town. Run it in Google and in Bing, search each username they use, and upload a recent photo of them to a search-by-image tool.
How do you talk to your child about what they post?
Talk to your child about what they post the same way you'd ask about their day. Get them to show you the accounts they enjoy and what they like about them, and look through those together.
Agree on a few plain rules, like no school name, no location and no photos of friends without asking. Promise that telling you when something goes wrong won't cost them their phone.
Which privacy settings should you set on your child's accounts?
Go through the privacy settings on each of your child's accounts and limit who can see their posts, comment, message them or tag them to people they know. Switch off location sharing in the app too, and location tagging in the phone's camera.
Look in each app's settings for a family or supervision option, such as TikTok's Family Pairing, which links a parent's account to their teen's. Set it up with your child, so they know exactly what you can see.
How old does a child have to be to use social media?
Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat each require a user to be at least 13 to have an account, and local law in some countries sets a higher age. TikTok removes under-13 accounts it finds, and Instagram lets a parent report one.
Source: Instagram Help Centre, “How do I report a child under the age of 13 on Instagram?”
Source: TikTok, “Guardian's Guide”
Source: Snapchat Support, “What's the minimum age to use Snapchat?”
Where does Loomis Family fit?
Loomis Family is Loomis's plan for up to six people. Accounts are connected on each member’s own phone, and Loomis reads their posts and the comments under them. You get a heads-up only when something needs you, such as bullying in their comments, a photo of them shared without their say-so, or self-harm or harmful content in something they post or share.
Your child sees the same description of what Loomis looks for, on their own page. Everyone in the household gets their own monthly check-in as well.
Does Loomis Family read your child's messages?
Loomis Family does not read direct messages. It reads the posts on the accounts your child connects, and the comments under them. Contact that happens in a private chat reaches you only if your child tells you, which is why the conversation with them comes first.
