Telegram
A guide for families with key information about ‘Telegram’, including the age rating, key terminology, risks and instructions for enabling parental controls and safety settings.
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How Telegram works
Telegram (Telegram Messenger) is a free instant messaging app. Users can send messages, images and videos to contacts on their Telegram account either individually or in group chats. Users must verify their account with a mobile number to start using the app.
Telegram focuses on the ability to enable encrypted messages.
The app is available on Android and iOS devices, and users can link their accounts to use on the web by scanning the QR code provided upon opening the Telegram website.
Minimum age requirements
The minimum age requirement for Telegram is 16. However, it does not have any rigorous age verification methods.
Apple App Store rates it as 17+ and Google Play rates it as ‘parental guidance required’.
Key features and terminology
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This allows the group admin to remain anonymous from others within the group. They can still post in the chat, under the group’s name and profile picture.
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This is a tool for broadcasting messages to large audiences. It sends messages under the channel’s name rather than under the name of a personal account.
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Chat bots use algorithms which learn and mimic human behaviour to play games and engage in conversation with users.
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This is a user who sets up a group chat and can manage the participants within that group, such as adding and removing participants.
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This allows users to chat with groups of up to 200,000 participants. You can manage group chats within your privacy settings. The ‘Topics’ function within group chats allows for smaller group chats to occur within the larger group chat forum.
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A feature on the app which shows users when other users were last on the app.
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This feature allows users to see and connect with other Telegram users in their location. This is not enabled by default.
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Users can generate temporary QR codes to connect with people around them. The QR codes obscure a user’s phone number, which makes them more anonymous and difficult to track down.
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All messages sent within this feature use end-to-end encryption which means only the sender and receiver of the messages can read them.
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Users can send messages that disappear after a certain time. Users can also ‘Auto delete’ all chats.
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Users can post stories to their account that all friends can see and repost for 24 hours only.
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A paid-for subscription to Telegram which provides users with additional chat features such as ‘Real-time translation’, ‘Advanced chat management’ and ‘Infinite reactions’. Users can also gift ‘Premium’ to other users.
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A setting available for voice, image, and video messages where they are automatically deleted after being viewed once.
Managing risks
Contact with others
As Telegram is a messaging app, contact with others is the main focus. While the default settings mean users are only visible to their contacts, once a username has been setup, users can be contacted by others on the platform.
The ‘People nearby’ feature also encourages and prompts users to connect with users in the same physical location.
These actions can help minimise the risk of contact with others.
Adjust settings
In Telegram’s settings, you can:
- hide your child’s phone number
- disable ‘People nearby’
- restrict who can message your child
Blocking and reporting tools
Empower your child to use the blocking and reporting tools to end contact with any harmful users and make the app safer for everyone.
Stay involved
Have regular conversations with your child about their online life to stay aware of who they are interacting with. Encourage your child to avoid adding contacts or joining group chats with people they don’t know and trust in real life. Ensure they know they can come to you for support if someone is making them uncomfortable.
Talk about oversharing
Discuss with your child what is and isn’t ok for them to share online. Explain to them that even though they can send disappearing messages, the recipient could still screenshot them.
Contact the authorities
If you suspect someone is messaging your child to groom them, screenshot any evidence and report it to the police.
Excessive usage
With read receipts and notifications, young people could feel pressure to reply to messages as soon as they receive them.
These steps can help your child avoid excessive screen time.
Turn off notifications
Disabling notifications will prevent your child from being alerted to new messages. This will stop notifications from distracting them at specific time, for example while studying or sleeping.
Encourage boundaries
Explain to your child that they do not need to be constantly available, and that their friends will understand if they don’t reply to messages immediately.
Settings to protect your child
Telegram does not have parental controls. These settings may help your child have a safer experience on the app.
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- Open the app and choose ‘Settings’.
- Scroll to ‘Privacy and security’.
- Work through the listed options and choose from:
- Everybody
- My contacts
- Nobody
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- Open the app and select the 3-lines icon.
- Select ‘People nearby’, then select ‘Stop showing me’.
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Block a user
- Go to the user you want to block either by searching or scrolling through the chat list.
- Tap on their name at the top of the page.
- Tap the 3-dots icon and select ‘Block user’.
Report a user
- Open the chat with the user you wish to report.
- Select their name to open their profile.
- Select ‘Report’.
- Choose the reason for the report.