Hi @Tona3 ,
Thanks so much for your post - helping our kids to navigate social media safely and being mindful of their future digital footprint is an issue I'm sure that many of the parents on our forums here will relate to.
In regards to Twitter, you're correct that users are all meant to be over 13 as per their terms of service. I've done a bit of online digging for you and it looks like there's a bit of a grey area with twitter about deleting activity from when users were under 13, when they are now over 13.
As a first step, I'm wondering what conversations you've had with your son around digital safety, online presence and the real-world impacts of social media? We have some resources here on ReachOut that may be helpful if you're wanting some ideas for how to start that conversation - this page and this page are resources about digital safety, privacy and having a positive online presence.
This may help educate him about the implications of social media - it's definitely going to be a part of life for all of our kids, and I think digital literacy is really important.
I'm also wondering if what he is posting on twitter is identifiable? Do you think making sure he removes any identifying information (like real name, age, school details, where he lives) from what he posts could be a step he would be happy with, without having to totally delete his account?
Let us know how you're going with him, and thanks so much for raising this important issue- as a parent of a child who's on the brink of their teenage years, I'll be following along this discussion with interest. I think you're showing a lot of love and care for your child in helping them to be mindful of their digital footprint- thank you for reaching out to the community here. I'm also going to tag in a few of our parents community champions who may have wisdom to add from their own experiences - @Dadof4kids , @Faob_1 , @compassion
