X (formerly 'Twitter')

X (formerly ‘Twitter’) is a free microblogging social networking service where users can post and interact with messages known as Posts (formerly ‘Tweets’). X (Twitter) is accessed via a web browser or mobile app for Windows, Android and iOS services. Registered users can post, like and repost other people’s posts. If you have not registered, you can read and scroll through the content of others on a web browser but not post. Posts can contain written text, photos, videos and links and can be read by your followers, and are searchable on a X (Twitter) search. Posts are restricted to 280 characters and audio or video files limited to 140 seconds. Account holders are recommended other accounts to follow based on your interests and if you elect to follow or subscribe to other users you will see their updates in your feed.

X the platform of choice for many adults to participate in communities of interests and share research and viewpoints quickly and easily. It allows users to blend professional interest with short viewpoints about hobbies, personal interests, frustrations, or jokes. It has accessible short-form content makes it easy to post ideas, questions, and viewpoints and many high-profile people use X this way. 

Though X (Twitter) maintains a high level of popularity, controversial moves by Elon Musk have seen a loss of both users and advertisers on the site. The loss in advertising revenue and users has been noted to coincide with the rise of hate content and the reduction of staff working in trust and safety. Users should also be advised that accounts displayed with a blue tick no longer represent credible people and organisations, as this service has moved to a subscription model called X Premium (formerly ‘Twitter Blue’). This means that any user can purchase a blue tick for their profile, regardless of whether they represent a credible organisation or individual. These actions have led the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) to publish reports about the ongoing rise in hate content on X (Twitter).

Official age rating

The minimum age for X (Twitter) users, according to the platform’s ‘Terms of service’, is 13; however it does not have any rigorous age verification methods.

The Apple App Store rates the app as 17+ and the Google Play Store rates it as ‘Parental guidance required’.

All accounts default to a public setting, where content can be viewed by any other users on the platform. For younger users, setting an account to private is recommended. 

Find out more about age ratings in our ‘A parent and carer’s guide to age ratings of apps and games’.

How children and young people use the app

X (Twitter) is popular with some young people for its snappy and often humorous short updates. Children and young people enjoy the interactivity, making connections and the fact that it can bring people instantly up to date with new stories and trending conversations and topics. Posts are often entertaining, funny and very regularly updated so every time your feed is refreshed, there is more and more engaging content for you to continuously interact with. It is especially engaging for young people as the number of likes, reposts and followers they receive can provide a sense of approval, popularity and acceptance. When posts become particularly successful or viral, it can be satisfying for young people but may also invite unwanted attention or harassment. X is also frequently used by celebrities, influencers and leaders which often leads young fans to join X to interact with them and their X (Twitter)-based fan communities.

Key features and terminology

Potential risks

Content

Content on X (Twitter) is added and generated by users and much of it is unmoderated. It is possible for content to be reported and removed for falling outside of X's community standards and users are encouraged to mark content that they tweet as potentially sensitive (including sexual or violent content), so it is captured by filters. There can be some abusive racism, misogyny and hate speech on X (Twitter) as well as vitriolic and toxic disagreement. Sexual content is also easily searchable and accessible as some sex workers use X (Twitter) as a platform to advertise their work. By restricting who your child can access on the platform, your child is less likely to experience language, content or behaviour that is not suitable for their age.  However, it should be acknowledged that your child may still be exposed to inappropriate content by their known contacts.

Since X (Twitter)’s takeover in October 2022, the number of staff has reduced significantly, resulting in weakened content moderation teams. Certain departments, such as trust and safety and public relations were among the most reduced as these were perceived as unimportant compared to staff working in engineering and development. This means that the quality of moderation is poorer, and the platform must rely more on automation to detect harmful content, rather than real-life moderators identifying such content. Extra care should be taken by parents and carers to review the type of content your child is being exposed to on the platform. Encourage your child to talk to you if they encounter content they find upsetting.

Algorithmic changes have been made to the platform, changing the way users are being served content. Previously, users would see posts in chronological order. However, now users are being shown a curated selection of posts that may be of interest to them in the ‘For you’ section, including Musk’s own posts. Users of the app have the option to choose whether to view content from people they follow, or tweets recommended by X (Twitter). For more information on how to do this, refer to the ‘Managing interactions and content’ section of this guide. This setting should be checked regularly.

Connecting with others

There are risks of contact with strangers in terms of online bullying, harassment, and abusive interactions. Online bullying can be particularly problematic on Twitter because popular users can quickly engage many of their followers to become involved and to add their own input extending the joke or unkind remark. This can be known as a X (Twitter) ‘Pile on’.

X (Twitter) can also present a grooming risk to children and young people using the platform because of the potential for direct messaging. As with other platforms, predators may use children’s vulnerability in these platforms to give them praise and establish a rapport to leverage a 1-2-1 interaction in a direct messaging context. Make sure that ‘Direct messaging’ is disabled in line with the settings below. Speak to your child about the risks of connecting with strangers and explain the importance of not sharing any personal or identifiable information on their profile or within chats. Remind users to tell you if they have been asked more personal questions or to chat privately using a different app.

Also try to make sure your child is aware of hackers and scammers on X (Twitter). They may be on the receiving end of encouragement to click on links or contact people privately which can be attempts to hack or trick them or take over their accounts.    

Some X (Twitter) profiles are automated accounts controlled by a software bot. Bots, sometimes known as ‘zombies’, are programmed to operate like ordinary X (Twitter) users (such as liking or following) but their purpose is to post and repost specific content for a predetermined purpose, often on a large scale. Some bots are benign and help spread positive messages quickly. However, bots can be designed for malevolent purposes, such as manipulation or intimidation of other users, spamming or spreading fake news and misinformation. Bots can be used to artificially inflate the number of followers to a genuine profile, which can increase the credibility and social influence of that user based on their apparent popularity.

Communities on X (Twitter) echoes a ‘groups’-like feature found across many social media platforms. Like other group settings, communities on X may entice your child to join and meet likeminded people based around common interests, such as a specific video game or a creator. However, as this may connect children and young people with many people they will not know, these are also a safety risk. If your child joins a community on X (Twitter), it is important that you maintain active communication about what is going on in a community they have joined. See the ‘managing privacy’ section to help keep your child safe in Communities.

User behaviour

The predominant behaviour risk on X (Twitter) is that users’ opinions and views can potentially reach a very large audience. Since the platform’s takeover in 2022, several previously banned users have been reinstated. High-profile personalities have had their accounts reinstated, despite previously being removed from the platform for violating X (Twitter)’s rules. Talk to your child about the type of people they choose to follow on the platform and encourage them to think critically about the tweets they read. Remind your child to speak to you if they read something they find upsetting or do not understand. 

The Spaces feature on X (Twitter) allows users to engage in live audio conversations, and for any number of public listeners. Depending on the host of a particular Space, any listener can also engage in the conversation, and the conversation could be recorded. Sessions that are recorded could be posted and shared online which may leave a digital record. This means that for your child, anything they say in a Space that is being recorded could follow their lives as a digital footprint.

Therefore, it is important that you have a conversation with your child to help them understand what is and is not appropriate for them to share and discuss the various ways they can protect themselves by sharing with their contacts only. Ensure your child knows it can be difficult to keep ownership of any content once it has been shared online and that it will leave a permanent digital record. There is also a live-streaming feature on X (Twitter), and it is important to disable this for younger users. If they are older, talk to your child about the risks of live streaming.

Design, data and costs

X (Twitter) presents risks for children and young people because the content is in digestible short fragments which are easily engaged with and do not require attentional skills or effort. This way of consuming information can be very appealing to young people and can lead to them using the app for extended periods scrolling through a constantly updating feed. Speak to your child about setting boundaries on their X (Twitter) use and explore the notification settings to help them achieve some screen-free time.

X (Twitter) has launched a paid-for service, known as ‘Twitter Blue’. Subscribers to this service are promised that their tweets will be prioritised in the algorithm; they can edit posts and see fewer adverts. X Premium users will have their accounts verified with a blue checkmark. Speak to your child about how subscriptions work and remind them that this is a business strategy for X (Twitter) to make money, rather than offering a huge benefit to users. Whilst blue checkmarks are used to represent credibility, it is important to note that any user can pay for this service and it no longer represents that the user or organisation is who they say they are, or that they are a credible source of information. It is also advised that you clarify with your child that if they or another user have a blue checkmark, they do not automatically gain credibility.

X (Twitter) has introduced two paid-for services that encourage users to spend money to show support or appreciation for other users. The platform allows users to ‘tip’ other users with one-off payments to show their appreciation or support but to also subscribe to other users for exclusive content or interactions via a ‘Super Follow’. Users, especially young people, may be drawn to ‘super following’ their favourite creator to show support or appreciation for them and to gain access to exclusive content unavailable for regular followers. ‘Super Follows’ are designed to keep users engaged and paying to their favourite creator with the potential for bonus content. As users may be promised bonus content depending on who they super follow, they may be additionally tempted to sign up to a subscription plan to their favourite creator. You may wish to speak to your child if they have expressed an interest in ‘super following’ or ‘tipping’ a creator and work with them to explore alternative ways they can support their favourite creator.

Tips for keeping your child safe

Additional tips

Whilst there is some uncertainty about the future of X (Twitter), users are being advised to protect their accounts. It is recommended that users get a copy of their archive.

To get your archive:

• go to the settings menu on your profile and select ‘More’
• choose ‘Settings privacy’ and select ‘Your account’
• choose the ‘Download archive’ option

Users are also being advised not to delete their accounts if they no longer want to use Twitter, as it makes them vulnerable to a fake account being set up in their name. Instead, users should use the settings menu and select ‘Protect your posts.’

Talk to your child about online bullying and the importance behaving in an ethical way on digital platforms. What can seem harmless from behind a keyboard can have a life-changing impact on someone who is subject to abuse or shaming on social media.  

X (Twitter) provides extensive guidance on account security.

There have been noted instances of X taking over accounts for their ‘handles’. Whilst this occurrence is unusual, this may be helpful to keep in mind when creating a ‘handle’.