What is Threads?

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Threads – the “Twitter Killer” – now has over 160M users (April 2024) and was the #1 app for Social Networking in the Apple App Store for a good bit.

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Threads is the latest app from Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and is a text-based platform. Other popular text-based apps include Twitter, BlueSky, and Mastodon. Twitter has always been the most successful and widely used text-based app, however, people are speculating that Threads could dethrone the little blue bird.

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Just like all the other Apps owned by Meta, the new Meta AI is integrated into their search features.

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They are continuing to update Threads rather frequently. Threads is now testing a Search feature as it currently doesn’t have one. This is often the easiest way to find all sorts of content, good or bad.

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How Does Threads Work?

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To use Threads, you must connect your Instagram account. This will create an @ sign above your Instagram page to show others that you are on Threads.

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A week after it was released, Meta finally allowed people to delete their Threads account without also deleting their Instagram. They were tethered via API for a week.

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You can share GIFs, a maximum of 10 photos, videos up to 5 minutes in length, and up to 500 characters per post.

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There’s not a “Following” feed, but you can see the posts you have liked by visiting your settings. And you can now change your timeline to be in chronological order, so you can see what’s happening right now, and this way Meta’s algorithm controls your feed less. A feed for just with your followers is in the works, but isn’t available yet.

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What Do Parents Need to Know about Threads?

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Messaging on Threads

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When Threads first launched, there wasn't any messaging. But after a series of updates, the app has just about all major features you'd imagine to find on a social media app. And direct messaging is one of them.

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You can directly share a Threads Post to your Instagram messages, and you can mention (tag) others in Threads posts as well.

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Does Threads have any Privacy Concerns?

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Threads user data is contained in one centralized network owned by Meta.

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It’s worth nothing that Threads isn’t available in the European Union because it gathers too much data, which violates European privacy laws. To put this in perspective, let’s compare the data collection practices of Threads with other text-based apps.

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Threads collects 14 different categories of data including your location, financial info, and sensitive information:

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Compared to Twitter, which collects slightly less:

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BlueSky is one of the two newer arrivals, which ratcheted down data collection even more. Interestingly, BlueSky is backed by JackDorsey, Twitter’s founder (who is no longer with Twitter). BlueSky is by “invite-only” and to make sure the platform isn’t full of bots.

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Mastodon uses a decentralized network, which can greatly benefit its user data. They don’t store any information within their own servers, but rather it is shared across many secure networks. It’s hard to beat the optics in the App Store when it says, “Data Not Collected:”

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Can you use Threads on the web?

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Yes, they did launch a web version a few months after release, so it’s now available just about everywhere.

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How to Make Threads Safer:

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Regardless of the app, three actions mitigate the risks we’ve shared. We teach these actions in our parent presentations:

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1. Require approval for all app downloads.
2. Follow the 7-Day Rule
3. Enable in-app controls and settings

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We explain each of them briefly below. If you’ve already set up approvals for downloads and have used the app, please skip to the In-App Controls & Settings.

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Require Approval for App Downloads

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You can control app stores by requiring permission for apps to be downloaded. This is ensures your child doesn’t have access to an app without your knowledge. Here are the steps (for Apple and Android users):

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For Apple Devices:

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To require permission to download an app, you’ll need to set up Screen Time and Family Sharing (Apple’s Parental Controls). We explain this process step-by-step in our Complete iOS Guide (click here).  

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Once Screen Time and Family Sharing are established, here’s how to require permission to download apps on an Apple device:

1. Go to your Settings app.
2. Select your Family.
3. Select the person you want to apply this setting to.
4. Scroll down to “Ask to Buy” and enable.

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For Android Devices:

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You’ll have to use Family Link (Android’s parental controls) to ensure you retain control over what apps are downloaded. We explain this process step-by-step in our Android Guide (click here).

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Once Family Link is established, here’s how to require permission to download apps on an Android device:

1. Go to the Family Link App
2. Select the person you want to apply this setting to.
3. Select “Google Play Store”
4. Select “Purchases & download approval” and set it to “All Content.”

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Follow the 7-Day Rule

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This is our tried-and-true method of determining whether a specific app is safe for your specific child.

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Before you let your child use it, download the app and use it for 7 days.

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Create an account with your child’s age and gender and use it for 7 days. Play through a few levels, review the ads, see if anyone can chat with you, and poke around like a curious child.

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After a week, ask yourself, “Do I want my child to experience what I did?”  Even if you decide to allow them to download the app, now you have a basis for curious conversations about the app when you check in.

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Enable In-App Controls & Settings

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Threads doesn’t have many controls, however, they are adding a Word Filtering feature that’s being used on Instagram. It will be enabled by default, and users can add more words, phrases, and even emojis by going to settings > Manage Custom Words and Phrases > and then insert the terms you would like to restrict.

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Users under 16 will be automatically funneled into a private profile, but this too can be disabled.

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According to a write-up from Bark, here’s what you can control:

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• Private profiles: Toggling this on means only approved followers will be able to see and interact with your child’s content.
• Mentions: You can choose whether people can “@” or mention your child in threads, replies, or bios.
• Muted: When you mute someone, you won’t see any of their content, but they can still see yours.
• Hidden words: You can manage whether comments show up on your child’s feed if they contain offensive words (or custom words you choose).
• Blocked profiles: You can completely block someone from showing up in your child’s Threads experience, and they won’t see your child’s content.
• Hide likes: This prevents your child’s content from displaying view counts and likes.

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Bottom Line: Is Threads Safe for Kids?

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So far, it doesn’t seem to have the egregious pornography and child sexual abuse content issues that are rampant on Twitter. The lack of direct messaging mitigates quite a bit of risk.

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Maybe a better question – is Threads good for kids? Nope. Threads is unnecessary. No one really needs another digital communication platform. It’s also a privacy nightmare.

What if I have more questions? How can I stay up to date?

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Two actions you can take!

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1. Subscribe to our tech trends newsletter, the PYE Download. About every 3 weeks, we’ll share what’s new, what the PYE team is up to, and a message from Chris.
2. Ask your questions in our private parent community called The Table! It’s not another Facebook group. No ads, no algorithms, no asterisks. Just honest, critical conversations and deep learning! For parents who want to “go slow” together. Become a member today!

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