¿Es Instagram o TikTok más seguro para proteger a nuestros adolescentes?

It can be quite scary to allow teens to go on popular social platforms. There are plenty of risks, from online predators to identity theft. But you can’t exactly stop them from using social media apps. The best we can do to care for our teens is to be knowledgeable about the platforms they go on. We must know the ins and outs of apps like Instagram and TikTok to know if they’re suitable for teens. That begs the question—is Instagram or TikTok safer for young people today?

No hay duda de que Instagram y TikTok son dos de las mayores plataformas de redes sociales para los usuarios más jóvenes. Son vías para la autoexpresión creativa a través de vídeos y para participar en las tendencias online más virales. Pero, ¿son seguras para los adolescentes? ¿Su política de privacidad y su conjunto de medidas de seguridad son suficientes para mantener a salvo a nuestros hijos?

In this guide, we’ll give you the lowdown on whether these competing social platforms are safe. We’ll also share our verdict of which platform works harder to protect our teens—Instagram or TikTok? Let’s dive in!

¿Deben los padres permitir el uso de aplicaciones de redes sociales a los adolescentes?

According to the American Psychological Association, adolescents desire more attention and validation from peers—and social media can exploit that. That’s why it’s important to establish boundaries and set up all possible safety measures on social media as a teen.

It’s understandable when parents are wary about social media apps for teens. There’s always a fear of exposing young people to cyberbullies, privacy issues, misinformation, online predators, and internet addiction. Plus, social media can give a fatal blow to a teen’s self-esteem if they compare themselves to others online.

At the same time, there are plenty of benefits of being in a safe online environment in your teen years. It allows young people to connect with their peers and express themselves online through photos and videos. It also exposes them to all kinds of useful resources, whether it’s for school or for discovering new hobbies.

Because of these pros and cons, it’s difficult to say whether being on social media is inherently good or bad. What we do know is that teens need to be careful on the internet.

Thankfully, top social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok stay on top of things like these. They have their teen privacy settings and policies in place to protect their younger audience from harm. While these well-thought-out policies can’t make the internet 100% safe, they’re a terrific place to start (more on those later!).

¿Qué edad hay que tener para tener TikTok o Instagram?

Parents who are worried about their small children don’t have to be that anxious about the dangers of social media. Most social platforms don’t allow young children on their apps, save for those designed specifically for kids and their parents. But exactly how old do you have to be to have TikTok or Instagram?

Instagram, TikTok and many other social media platforms only accept users who are 13 years old and above. This age requirement complies with US laws to protect the privacy rights of minors, specifically the COPPA.

These platforms also allow only those 13 and above to join their sites for safety reasons. It’s important to have a certain level of maturity when giving people access to your personal information and posts online. While 13 is far from being a grown-up, teens are mature enough to understand the red flags of social media.

Instagram, in particular, is quite strict with this age requirement. Any account representing someone younger than 13 must state in its bio that a parent manages the account.  

También animan a denunciar las cuentas de menores de 13 años. Así se protege a los niños de exponerse demasiado pronto a los peligros de las redes sociales. La plataforma también elimina las cuentas que no puede verificar que pertenecen a mayores de 13 años.

¿Es Instagram seguro para los niños? 5 razones para estar tranquilo

Instagram es muy divertida para los adultos a los que les gustan los contenidos visuales estéticos y conectar con gente de todo el mundo. Pero, ¿es Instagram seguro para los niños que no saben navegar por el mundo digital?

No podemos darte una respuesta directa. Pero sí podemos decirte una cosa:Instagram cuenta con numerosas medidas de seguridad para proteger a los usuarios más jóvenes. ¿Tienes un hijo adolescente que se empeña en abrir una cuenta en Instagram ? Aquí tienes cinco razones para no asustarte:

Tienen un estricto control parental Instagram

Instagram parental controls (aka parental supervision) are tools that allow parents to link their accounts to their teen’s page. These provide insights into what your teen is doing on the app. It also lets parents set healthy habits for their kids, such as screen time limits and scheduled breaks from Instagram.

What’s cool about parental controls on Instagram is that they don’t disrespect the privacy of a teen. Parents won’t be able to see conversations with others or a play-by-play of their teen’s activity. Instead, the app gives topline insights into what their child is doing online. Here are some of the things parents can see after they’ve linked their account to their child’s:

- Cuánto tiempo pasa el adolescente en la aplicación cada día

·   What accounts does their teen follow, and which ones follow them

·   The account privacy settings of their teen, including messaging settings

Parental controls are only available for teens between the ages of 13 and 17. As soon as a teen Instagram user turns 18, the link to their parent’s profile will automatically end.

Puedes configurar las cuentas en modo privado

Instagram also allows users to set their accounts to private mode. When a user is on private, people won’t be able to see their content unless they follow their profile. Users on private also have the power to approve or deny people requesting to follow them. This creates an extra layer of protection for those worried about people seeing into their private lives on social media.

Poner tu perfil en privado también te protege de la atención no deseada de otras personas. Esto incluye mensajes directos y comentarios de personas que no conoces.

La configuración de la privacidad de los adolescentes dificulta que los adultos lleguen a ellos

There are adults out there who lurk on Instagram, waiting for a chance to take advantage of unsuspecting teens. It’s a harsh reality we have to face as a society.

But Instagram isn’t taking this reality sitting down. The platform has internal systems in place to make it more challenging for adults to contact teens through the app. For example, adults aren’t allowed to see teen accounts in their “Suggested users.” Adults also can’t message teens unless the teen account already follows them.

If a teen is already messaging an adult who is acting suspiciously, Instagram flags this. They’ll send a notification only on the teen’s end to point out the sketchy behavior. The teen will then have the option to report or block the adult trying to talk to them.

Puedes enviar mensajes sólo a tus amigos íntimos

Instagram’s “Close Friends” feature allows you to curate a list of people in your inner circle that you trust. Then, you can choose to share specific pieces of content only with that group. This is a fantastic way to let users control their audience, thereby protecting their privacy.

Crea un entorno más cómodo en el que la gente puede compartir lo que quiera sin miedo a ser juzgada o acosada. También reduce las posibilidades de recibir respuestas y comentarios de personas que no conoces o en las que no confías.

Disponen de filtrado avanzado de comentarios y solicitudes de mensajes

While most Instagram comments are flattering and positive, the comments section can be an avenue for bullying and negativity, too. It can be detrimental to young people’s mental health to receive negative comments full of hate and discrimination.

Por suerte, Instagram tiene configurado por defecto un filtro avanzado de comentarios en cada cuenta. Esta configuración oculta automáticamente los comentarios (e incluso los mensajes directos) que incluyen determinadas palabras inapropiadas.

There’s a default list of “bad” words set up by Instagram. But you can customize it to add any trigger words you won’t want to see in your comments and messages. That way, you can protect yourself from cyberbullying and online harassment, creating a safer, more positive online space.

¿Es TikTok seguro para los adolescentes? 3 características que lo hacen seguro

Instagram is one of the pioneer social media apps out there and has been around for over a decade. But in recent years, a competitor has emerged that has proven to be a favorite among teens. That platform is every Gen Z’s beloved TikTok.

Because TikTok has a primarily young audience, it has multiple privacy policies in place to keep teens safe. Here are three key safety features that might give parents peace of mind about their teens glued to TikTok.

Tienen emparejamiento familiar TikTok

Family pairing es la respuesta de TikTok al control parental de Instagram. Permite a los padres vincular su cuenta de TikTok a la de sus hijos adolescentes. Así pueden ver cómo utilizan la aplicación sus hijos y controlar determinados hábitos de uso de la pantalla. Estas son algunas de las cosas que los padres pueden hacer cuando su cuenta está vinculada a la página de su hijo adolescente:

- Establezca límites diarios de tiempo frente a la pantalla para su hijo adolescente.

- Establezca un código de acceso que permita a su hijo adolescente volver a utilizar TikTok incluso cuando su límite de tiempo se haya agotado.

- Activar y desactivar las notificaciones push de sus hijos adolescentes a partir de cierta hora del día.

- Activa el "Modo restringido" para la cuenta de tu hijo adolescente.

- (Ten en cuenta que la función de mensajería directa de TikTok no está disponible para los adolescentes menores de 16 años, lo cual es otra excelente medida de seguridad).

Puedes configurar tu perfil de TikTok como privado

Like Instagram, you can set your TikTok account to private. That way, only people whose follow requests you approve will be able to see the videos you upload. People who don’t follow you also won’t have access to your bio, likes, and other personal information on your profile. This is a terrific way to protect yourself from online stalkers and bullies.

Tienen publicaciones con protección de edad de TikTok

Have you ever tried watching a TikTok video only to get an error message notifying you that the post is “age-protected”? It’s frustrating, sure. But this safety measure is meant to keep teens out of content made specifically for people 18 and above. That way, young kids aren’t exposed to TikTok age-protected posts with mature themes that might negatively influence them.

This security measure isn’t just for teens. People who are uncomfortable with seeing mature themes on TikTok can also receive these notifications by going to “Restricted Mode.” Being on Restricted Mode also turns off TikTok features that can potentially expose teens to danger, including gift-giving on Live.

El veredicto: TikTok vs Instagram-¿Qué aplicación es más segura para los usuarios jóvenes?

It’s scary to think that people are exposed to dangers like online bullying and predators at such a young age. But it’s a reality we have to accept, especially since teens these days seem to be glued to their phones. It’s our job to inform them about which apps are safe for them to use. That way, they stand a chance at staying safe 100% of the time as they have fun on social media.

Así pues, respondamos a la pregunta candente. TikTok vs Instagram: ¿qué aplicación es más segura para los adolescentes y los niños que están aprendiendo a navegar por el espacio digital?

Both of these platforms have thoughtful, secure measures to help make the digital world safe for teens. They allow parental supervision (parental controls for Instagram and family pairing for TikTok). They also give teens the ability to set their profile to private mode.

However, at the end of the day, you can’t deny that Instagram has more guidelines in place to protect teens. They filter out offensive comments and messages and design their algorithm so that suspicious adults can’t connect with children easily. They even allow users to post content only for a specific set of close friends to see. Talk about privacy policies at their finest!

That said, we also have to commend TikTok for their ironclad, super strict policies to keep teens safe. These include not having direct messaging options for kids below 16 and the ability to go on “Restricted Mode.”

But if you ask us which app looks safer for teens, we’ve got to give it to Instagram. Having said that, both social media apps are still awesome (and super enjoyable) for teens. Just go with what you’re more comfortable navigating with your kids.

¿Es Instagram o TikTok más seguro? IG tiene más funciones de seguridad

So, now we’re left with the burning question about everyone’s favorite visual platform—is Instagram safe for teens? While being active on social media is always risky, everything we’ve covered in this guide points to yes, it’s safe. And because Instagram has a few more safety features than TikTok, some might consider it safer than the latter.

But there is a caveat. Instagram can be a safe online environment for younger users only if we make it safe for them. Guardians have the responsibility of understanding parental controls, privacy settings, and other security measures for teens on Instagram. That way, they can help teens navigate the platform while still enjoying it.

And while safety always comes first, teens and young users should also be allowed to have fun on social media. Parents should encourage their kids to create aesthetic content or funny videos. If you’re wondering, is Instagram or TikTok safer for teens’ content creation? Well, that’s a decision you and your child should discuss while considering each app’s safety features.

If your teen is set on making content on Instagram, help them reach their full potential with Path Social. Our AI-powered targeting algorithm helps hunt down your niche audience that will engage most with your content. As a result, your content gets more likes, more comments, and more views. Getting a boost in your follower count is just the cherry on top! Start growing your or your teen’s Instagram community today with Path Social.