Twitter is just for adults – isn’t it?

It is though, isn’t it?

Twitter is a social media platform that uses ‘tweets’ to express users’ thoughts and observations but with a limit of 280 characters. This platform allows you to follow not only your friends and family’s views and life stories, but also role models such as sports personalities or celebrities. With over 330 million monthly active users, Twitter may be classed as a ‘social media giant’. However, this figure is far below both Instagram and Facebook’s user community.

Only 13% of secondary school students use Twitter compared to the 61% that use Facebook. The San Francisco-based company has an official age rating of 13 but the platform does not seem to be used by those of that age. Twitter has a lot of political and news-based content which many young people may not have an interest in.

Teens tweeting on their mobile devices

The social media giant does have several safety measures in place to protect young people on their site. There are rules against bullying, hateful conduct and adult content. Guidelines are also in place to prevent users from sharing personal detail and photos/videos etc.. Although these measures are established, they do not seem to encourage users in the younger age range.

Users are able to report and block others who they think are breaking the rules through bullying or harassment which is often more prevalent amongst the younger generation. The US Library of Congress stores all tweets posted for posterity. This means your tweets will still be stored and could be viewed by future employers etc, even if you delete a tweet. This may drive teens away.

In conclusion, Twitter is definitely accessible to the younger generation. Due to the etiquette and safety rules that are in place, it is suitable for over 13s. Over 13s may use the site but figures show the opposite. As teenagers, it seems, are generally less interested in news and politics, this may make them more likely to steer away from the media platform. The network is generally more serious as it is more likely to be used by adults to contact companies to complain, or retweet other people’s opinions.

Overall, I think Twitter has the potential for teenagers as it has all of the safety precautions needed to keep them safe but the reality is that it has far to go to catch Instagram or Facebook.

What are your thoughts? Are you a student who uses Twitter and, if so, what are the benefits? If you don’t use it, why not tell us why – we’d love to hear from you!

Statistics sourced from https://blog.hootsuite.com/twitter-statistics/

About Post Author

9 thoughts on “Twitter is just for adults – isn’t it?

  1. This was very interesting and well written article! I think twitter can have more inappropriate content compared to other social media sites, so I don’t have an account

    1. Thank you for your comment, Chloe! I don’t have an account either, as I am generally not interested in the content shown on the platform. Maybe we will get an account when we are older?!

  2. Such an interesting article, I had never thought about this slant on the use of social media, but I tend to agree with your conclusion in regards to Twitter.

  3. A very well adult written article by a girl who is just about to become a ‘teen’. It certainly gives food for thought. Well done Evie, keep up the good work.

  4. The article is very well structured and uses many statistics to prove points. I agree that twitter isn’t suitable for young people because of its content. Good job Evie for making a great article.

  5. I love how you have included multiple points of view. I agree with your conclusion on Twitter and social media platforms as a whole.

  6. Really great article Evie! I have an account but I only use it to look at celebrity accounts so I don’t post anything myself. Twitter does have a setting that doesn’t let you see sensitive content so that’s quite good.

  7. A great overview and a very professional article. I had no idea all tweets were stored. I bet a lot of Twitter users aren’t aware of this either!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *