As parents, the struggle to keep up with what teens are up to is real—not least of all online.
The scarily efficient trend cycle means social media apps for teens rise and fall in popularity fast. Naturally, a parent wants to know that their child is safe online.
Below, we explore the top social apps for teens, including popular dating apps and social media apps for teens. Get clued up as to what apps are appropriate for teenagers and what to avoid.
Table of Contents
The Best & Worst Social Apps for Teens
So, what are teens into these days? One thing’s for sure, it’s not Tamagotchis and magazines!
If you’re feeling out of the loop as a parent, you’re not alone. What are things 15 year olds do in 2024? Demystify it by finding out more about the top social apps for teens, including the best apps for tweens and apps parents should avoid.
Social Media Apps for Teens: The Holy Trinity
1. YouTube
YouTube remains the most widely used social platform by teens (and, actually, everyone everywhere). The popularity of longer form content continues to grow compared to a decade ago, including an explosion in the number of successful podcasts hosted on the platform. The social media king’s crown remains intact. YouTube Kids is a great way to control what younger kids and tweens see.
2. TikTok
TikTok’s astronomical growth subsequent to Musical.ly, a now defunct app (remember when tweens did dances or whatever?), has shown no signs of slowing down. Its algorithm is hyper optimized to keep teens hooked, scrolling, and participating in trends—mostly harmless, contrary to popular belief, but occasionally life threatening.
3. Instagram
Once exclusively a photo sharing app, Insta has evolved its structure significantly to keep pace with TikTok. Stories, reels, and even shopping flesh out the experience to keep up with its chief competitor (so keep credit cards hidden if you catch them scrolling a little too much!).
Social Media Apps for Teens: The Has-Beens
1. Facebook
Simply put, Facebook isn’t on the radar when it comes to social media apps for teens. Sure, it remains a huge traffic collector, but teen accounts are largely disused or exist exclusively for maintaining links to family members. Facebook groups may translate to real life communities.
2. Kik
By the mid 2010s, Kik had attracted a bad reputation, at one point prompting the New York Times to call it the ‘problem app of the moment.’ Essentially a messaging service, the kicker (no pun intended) is the ability to be anonymous. It also has a dating app, no parental controls, and an association with grooming. While plans to shut the app down in 2019 were seemingly reversed, it’s largely fallen from grace. Steer clear!
3. Skype & Instant Messengers
Parents approaching their wiser years may recall the widespread popularity of instant messengers. Needless to say, with WhatsApp’s supremacy, IM is a relic of the past. Skype in the teenage mind equals online classes or job interviews, as does the pandemic’s greatest hit, Zoom.
Social Media Apps for Teens: The Niche
1. Twitch
Technically, Twitch isn’t niche. It’s massively popular, with over 140 million active users, 41% of which are aged 16-21. But not all teens are gamers. Though it hosts some non-gaming content, Twitch is a live streaming platform largely associated with gaming. If you’re looking for the best apps for teenage girls, Twitch isn’t one of them—65% of Twitch users are male.
2. Discord
For parents that dabbled in the Internet back in the 90s or 2000s, Discord resembles the internet forums you might recall. Somewhere between instant messenger and private forum, Discord is largely associated with gaming, but hosts any and all kinds of community, from music fandoms to fashion gurus. Because of this format, Discord is one of the best apps for teens to make friends. It has an age rating of 13+.
3. Roblox
Though it is an online game, Roblox is among the biggest apps for tweens. It launched back in 2006, but saw unprecedented growth over the last decade. It’s played on any platform, including the web or an iPhone. It’s safe for tweens and teens, but parents might give pause for letting younger children use it as a result of the open communication policy. Get acquainted with Roblox age guidelines to make sure they are playing age appropriate content.
What social medias can a 13 year old have?
13 year olds can have accounts for all of the most popular social media because 13+ is the age rating for the vast majority of social media apps, including:
· TikTok
· Instagram
· Snapchat
· YouTube
· X (formerly Twitter)
Parental control apps are an easy way to limit what your kids access on the internet, which helps to keep them safe. Find a parental control app that works for you.
There’s a middle ground to reach here. Like it or not, widespread use of social media is our reality. Blocking everything a 13 year old has access to is pointlessly antagonistic, and could encourage more risky online behaviors as a way of acting out or rebelling.
Limit how many hours they can access their apps in a day to avoid social media overuse.
3 Safe Social Apps for Teens Parents Can Get Behind
Unplugging the Wi-Fi isn’t the solution to the dangers posed to your children. Below are three brilliant apps for teens that all parents can get behind!
1. AlfredCircle – Location Tracking
Teens benefit greatly from location tracking, whether or not their parents are involved. AlfredCircle is a free location tracking app that let’s users share their locations on a live, private map. Adding Places to the map triggers notifications when users enter or leave the location.
Particularly if they’re using dating apps for teens, AlfredCircle helps keep teens safe as they navigate the world. Yes, it’s dangerous out there, but that doesn’t mean a life shut up inside! Teens can easily keep friends and family in the know about where they are, which helps ease anxieties across the board.
For friends!
While location tracking is commonly used by families to keep an eye on each other, AlfredCircle makes it easy for friends to stay connected. This helps teens to stay safe when going out to have fun at night or on a date. Meetups are also easier to organize.
Find out more about how friendship groups make the most of AlfredCircle, or get started now by downloading AlfredCircle for free!
2. BeReal – Authentic Social Media App for Teens
Nowadays, social media is a necessity for most teens. That’s unlikely to change. Edited images and unattainable lifestyles raise concerns for parents, as teens consume an excessive amount of content on social media apps.
BeReal disrupts this by emphasizing authenticity. Users can only post once a day during a specific two minute window, the idea being that the images show friends who you really are, with no filters.
3. Google Family Link – Online Safety Control
Family Link provides comprehensive digital life management, including content filtering and screen time features. It’s easy for parents to monitor their kids’ activities and set down time limits, so that a more healthy balance is encouraged for digital device use.
Approve the apps they want to download, supervise their use of YouTube, and protect the family’s privacy by granting or denying data permissions.
Family Link made it to our list of best family tracking apps for 2024. Check out the others to find what’s best for you.
FAQ
What apps can a 12 year old have?
All major social media apps require users to be aged 13 or older to have an account. This includes YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X (Twitter). Some specify that parental guidance must be provided for anyone younger. YouTube Kids filters content specifically for children.
Roblox is a popular online game with a strong social aspect that has a variety of age ratings to indicate appropriateness for different games: All Ages and 9+ are suitable for 12 year olds. In general, 12 year olds are likely still interested in creative and mobile game apps over social apps.
What are things 15 year olds do?
15 year olds are likely to have developed specific interests and hobbies. These might be niche or popular, and parents should encourage exploring new interests as they emerge. Sports, music, fashion, and gaming are common interests for 15 year olds.
They might also be interested in more philosophical pursuits, like art and religion. Political perspectives are more likely to develop fully in the later teen years, but many 15 year olds have topical opinions on current affairs, particularly through social media.
At 15 years old, their independent social life is just beginning, so socializing is an interest both online and in real life.
Conclusion
The best apps for teens are the most popular ones—YouTube and co—because they have the most comprehensive privacy and safety features. Seedy sites to steer clear of include Kik and Omegle.
This is the internet we’re talking about, so offensive and inappropriate content is extremely likely to slip between the cracks. That’s why monitoring apps for tweens with digital management apps is helpful.
Likewise, AlfredCircle keeps them safe if they take their online lives offline, particularly if they are just beginning to socialize independently or go on dates.