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Social media is an inaccurate umbrella term that is used to cover a wide range of apps and services. This section covers apps and services that might be considered social media but that are typically used for viewing feeds and content, such as Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
It covers:
- main features of the services
- potential risks
- how to setup an account
- using platform settings to manage risk
- how to report harmful conduct
Main features
Platforms like Instagram, Twitter and TIkTok offer a way to connect with, and view content, from people across the world. Increasingly these are for brands or individual ‘influencers’. They usually post short videos (sometimes live), photos and short pieces of text.
These platforms also offer direct messaging and the ability to ‘tag’ other people in the posts or content – usually with @username.
It might be useful to think of these services in the context of their main media:
- Instagram – photos
- Twitter – short texts
- TikTok – short videos
Potential risks
Ofcom data suggests that the most common potential harms on these types of platforms are:
- viewing inappropriate content
- disinformation and misinformation
- unwanted contact from other users
The presence of brands and ‘influencers’ adds the potential risk of scams and influenced or pressurised spending.
Because they offer direct messaging and the ability to ‘tag’ other people in the posts or content there is also a risk of abusive or bullying messages.
How to set up an account
Almost any app will require the same details to create an account and access its content:
- username (usually an email or the phone’s linked Google or Apple account)
- password
There may be requests for additional information, such as name, address or phone number – these are not always required.
These links explain how to register for and set up an account on the most popular platforms:
Using platform settings to manage risk
Each platform will have a setting for security and privacy – this can be used to control a number of aspects, including:
- who can see posts or media
- who can contact or follow you
These links explain how to use settings to reduce the potential risks of unwanted contact, being tagged in abusive or bullying content, or seeing inappropriate or unwanted content on the most popular platforms:
How to report harmful conduct
If a user thinks they have been potentially harmed on the platform they should be aware of how to report this to the platform and potentially the police and trusted adults.
These links explain how to report users and content on the most popular platforms: