What do you like to watch on your device?
Topic
All About the Platforms
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What you can do now
Talk to your kid about their favorite platforms
It’s impossible to know everything there is to know about social media or gaming, so tap into your greatest resource – your child. If they talk about something they saw while playing games, or an app one of their friends has, use that opportunity to ask them about how the app or game works. While your kids are a great jumping off point, there are plenty of adult-sourced resources to give you even more insight.
- App Review from Parents & Kids - Common Sense Media
- Social Media Guide - Family Online Safety Institute
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Familiarize yourself with platform-specific resources
Most apps and platforms that are popular with kids (even if they don’t meet age requirements) have safety resources available for parents. These guides can include everything from platform overviews to expert advice to important resources around reporting issues. Even if your child isn’t yet using the app, take a look and be sure to bookmark these for future reference.
- Facebook Parents Portal
- TikTok Guardian’s Guide
- Snapchat Safety - Parents & Educators
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Discuss what happens on platforms - good and bad
A dialogue about platforms is a good opportunity to keep the conversation fun. Talk to your kids about some of your favorite apps and what you like to do online and encourage them to do the same. This is also a great opportunity to touch on things that they might find less fun and open the door for future discussions about uncomfortable situations that could happen.
- Social Media & Platforms
- Screen Time & Monitoring
- See All Related Guides
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Check in & keep talking
Apps and games are constantly evolving. If you happen to use some of the same apps, talk about a new feature that you’re excited about or something that is driving you nuts. Keep discussions about platforms as a normalized part of the conversation, so if something comes up they know you already share a baseline.