Threads App Parental Controls to Minimize Risks for Teens

When Threads launched in 2023, you thought it would die a quick death like it did in 2019. Fast-forward to 2025, and the app has over 350M monthly active users. Once considered an X (formerly Twitter) clone, Threads evolved into a one-of-a-kind text-based social media app where cool kids hang out, including yours.

As a parent, I did my research to find out whether Threads is safe for teens and the risks before deciding whether to allow my kid to be on them.

“Scammers will often adapt their tactics to exploit new platforms and technologies, and doing so on Threads will be no exception, so it is possible that Threads will become a target very quickly,”

– Lisa Ventura MBE, Member of the International Cyber Expo Advisory Council and Founder of Cybersecurity Unity.

True to these words, cybercriminals have already used Threads to scam and attack unsuspecting users, according to EuroNews.

Like any other social media platform, Threads is being used by bad actors. It is a source for enabling inappropriate content, body image issues, and addiction. With that in mind, you’ll want to understand what Threads is all about before allowing a teenager to use the app.

That is why I prepared this Threads Parents’ Guide.

What is the Threads App

Threads is a text-based microblogging social media platform launched on July 4, 2023, by Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook.

Threads became the fastest-growing platform, with over 100M downloads within the first five days of its launch.

An Instagram team created Threads under its head, Adam Mosseri, to be a platform with Twitter-like features.

Signing up is relatively easy.

You need an Instagram account that connects to the existing Instagram profile. It includes the name, bio, and link. You can also import who you follow, but your followers have to choose to continue following you on Threads.

Threads Features include:

• users can upload text-based posts with a 500-character limit. You can post photos, videos, and GIFs up to 5 minutes in length;
• you can tag topics in a post to categorize posts to make it easier for others to find and join the conversation;
• users can search Threads profiles, tags, words, or phrases within posts;
• it lacks trending stories and direct messaging;
• it prioritizes public dialogues over private conversations;
• you can see post insights such as everyone who has interacted with a post, likes, reposts, and quotes;
• users can share voice Threads as an attachment to a post.

Threads bans nudity, sexual intercourse, and recreational drugs. According to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, Threads follows the Instagram community guidelines. However, parents should be wary of that promise since Instagram’s parent company, Meta, has constantly come under fire for violating its community policies by prioritizing content that advocates misinformation and hatred, according to Amnesty International.

Threads Age Limit

The minimum age limit for Threads on the App Store is 12 years old, but since it’s linked to Instagram, users have to be at least 13 years old to use the app.

Nonetheless, underage kids are on Instagram, and Meta has routinely ignored reports of under-13 Instagram users. This means that kids can easily use the Threads app thanks to its simple profile carry-over from Instagram.

There is even the court complaint, where Meta is reported to be a company that maximizes profit by increasing young users’ attention. Hence, parents should be more cautious about letting kids sign up for Threads.

When teens sign up for Threads, their account is set to private. However, they can change the privacy settings to public.

Is Threads Safe?

Threads poses several dangers, especially for younger users: inappropriate and harmful content, privacy risks, grooming, and predation.

Algorithm Curated Posts

The Threads feed is based on an algorithm that shows posts from friends and strangers. Some of these posts can be inappropriate. Kids can search for users, including strangers, and follow them.

Threads is similar to Twitter. It prioritizes engaging graphic content with many replies, likes, and reposts. It’s inevitable to find distasteful content like hate speech, offensive words, and cyberbullying.

Privacy Risks

It took Meta 5 months to launch Threads in the European Union, since it had not complied with the EU’s strict data protection laws.

Threads collects a great deal of user data that can map a person’s life. This data includes personal information such as contacts, location, financial information, health and fitness, and sexual orientation.

• When a child signs up for a Threads account, Threads receives their profile information, including their name, email address, settings & preferences.
• Threads can see the content they create and consume and the metadata, such as the type, title, and keywords.
• Threads records app, browser, and device information, including web interactions.
• Threads can see the people they interact with, such as followers, connections, and communities.

Threads privacy risks are essential for parents to take notice.

Meta tracks and profiles users, including teens, to keep them engaged on their platform. This translates into more sales.

As a parent, you’re looking at an app addiction and endless scrolling that ultimately spills over to other areas of their lives, like schoolwork and everyday human-to-human interactions, which are crucial for wholesome growth.

Harmful Content

Threads has vast information from text, photos, videos, GIFs, and links. Like any other social media app, there’s potential for adult content, hate speech, and a simple click on a link will lead a child to another platform.

Right now, the Threads search feature pulls other Threads users that a person wants to follow. It also lacks hashtags, which makes finding content harder. However, this does not minimize the risks of content interactions leading to cyberattacks like swatting, doxxing, online stalking, and phishing.

Grooming and Predation

Grooming and predation usually happen over private messages. While Threads does not have a DM feature, strangers can find a kid on Threads and use the Instagram app to send a direct message. Remember that everyone on Threads is also on Instagram, the leading social media platform for grooming, according to CNN.

Threads can open the door for grooming and predation for younger users from strangers all over the world. The ease of liking, replying, and sharing makes it easy for predators to initiate contact and maintain interactions with kids.

Threads Parental Controls

Threads offers some parental controls that can influence a positive experience for teens. You can apply some privacy settings on a teen’s account or use Meta supervision.

How to Manage Threads Account Settings for Privacy

Teens under 16 Threads accounts are automatically set to private by default. This can be changed in their profile settings. That’s why discussing the importance of a private profile and digital safety for your teen is a good idea.

A private profile means only their followers can see and interact with their threads. In addition, their replies will only be visible to followers and the profiles they reply to.

To make your teen’s account private manually, use these steps:

1. Open their Threads app and click the profile icon at the bottom of the For You page.
   
2. Tap on the menu button in the top-right corner (it’s the two lines above the profile photo).
   
3. Click Privacy and push the button next to Private profile to the right to turn it black.
   

There are also other settings you can manage on Threads.

To manage Tags and Mentions:

Click on Tags and Mentions and choose either Profiles you follow or No One.

To choose who can see their profile:

Tap Online Status from Privacy settings and choose Followers, Followers that you follow back, or No one.

To hide offensive words:

1. Tap Hidden words in Privacy settings.
   
2. Under Offensive words and phrases, choose the On option, and in Custom words and phrases, click Manage custom words and phrases. You can add words to the new page.
   

Threads also allows muting, restricting, and blocking specific profiles.

When you mute a profile, your teen won’t see their posts and replies in their feed. Restricting a profile prevents notifications about their interactions with a person’s content, while the block feature prevents them from seeing your teen’s posts, profile, and any of their content

To mute, restrict, or block a Threads profile:

1. Use the Search feature to find the account you want to mute, restrict, or block.
2. Open their profile and click the three dots in the top-left corner of the page.
   
3. Choose Mute, Restrict, or Block, or all three features.
   

How to Use Meta Supervision for Threads

Meta supervision allows parents to supervise their teen’s account using the Family Center on Instagram. The Family Center allows parents to set account privacy, who can tag them, and who can mention them. Parents can also hide sensitive and potentially offensive content.

Connect your teen’s account to the parent account to set up Family Center. Instagram will give you the connection link to send to your teen.

Once you’ve linked Family Center to your teen’s Threads account, you can manage their safety settings, connections, and time spent.

To manage teen’s Threads account through Supervision:

1. Open the Instagram app > your profile and click the menu button in the top-right corner.
   
2. Click Family Center > choose teens account.
   
3. Select Threads.
4. Under Their Teen Safety Settings, click Profile privacy and ensure it’s set to private.
   
5. Click Sensitive content, it should be set to less. While Hide comments and replies should be on.
   
6. You will see their connections and the accounts your teen has blocked.
   Note: You can only block Threads profiles directly from your teen’s account, not the Family Center.
   
7. Under Their Time Spent, click Manage time limits. Then, you can enter sleep mode and set a daily limit.
   

Family Center restricts some actions on the teen’s account. A teenager can set their account to private, but they must request their parents to turn off the hidden words feature. When a teen changes their account to private, you have to change it directly from their account.

Parents cannot manage the Threads feed on the teen app. Hence, what they see is up to the Threads algorithm and the people they follow.

How to Use a Third-Party App to Monitor Threads

Third-party apps have proven useful for monitoring social media apps, and Threads is no exception. You can apply parental controls and know how your child interacts on Threads using a parental control tool.

Based on our research, uMobix is the best for supervising Threads. It can show you the text they input in the app and how long they spent on the app.

To use uMobix for Threads supervision:

1. Install uMobix on the target device. The app works in the background and is virtually impossible for teens to uninstall.
2. Access the online dashboard and go to the keylogger. You will see the texted content under the name com.instagram.barcelona.
   
3. Click on App activity to see how long your kid spent on the Threads app and other apps they have installed on their device.
   
4. You can block Threads if you feel your teen is not ready for the app, but they have insisted on using it without your permission. On uMobix, click Applications to see all the installed apps. Then click Block next to Threads to prevent access to the app on your child’s phone.
   

Conclusion

For parents of tweens, Threads is an unnecessary app that adds to the numerous social media platforms already available. If your teen insists on being on the app, it’s best to go over digital safety to help them have a positive experience.

The absence of the DM feature adds a tad of safety, but it does not make kids unreachable. Moreover, with the vast content available, inappropriate content is bound to slip through. It’s better to have kids not use it than to add it to your list of yet another app that you need to supervise.

Anyway, you can view their Threads without an account using Threads parental controls, Meta supervision, or third-party monitoring apps.