Literally doing what the title says. Our kids have not been allowed social media until they turned 13. We’ve had some issues with inappropriate posts on other social media platforms, looking up disturbing content(sexual and suicidal) things in the past and are working through it. In a way it was a good thing because we have a better understanding of what/how they think and were able to get them help.

Recently one has snuck on to Reddit because they find it a good place to connect. We want to encourage the connection while also making sure they use it appropriately and we can check in like before. Not to control what they do, but to be able to see the red flags and help them if needed without punishment or taking it away.

So here’s my little test post. To see how Reddit works, how the platform can be checked and how interactions work. We really want them to have something to help them feel less different than their peers and less like “Why don’t I get treated like everyone else.”

Update: he has an email address that I made him when I made his Roblox account, the Microsoft account that he uses for Minecraft (he couldn’t use mine because he habitually would play on online servers with myself and my siblings), and his scratch account. Which is a website that teaches kids to code, make simple games, and is made to be like a game itself. I don’t allow tik tok, Facebook, instagram, etcetra. I do however allow him to have a YouTube account, which I monitor. He posts his animations, and has several of his school friends as followers.

Thanks for the concern and comments, but my Reddit account is one I keep private, and isn’t associated with my identity.

I just saw that my son’s email account had a notification email from Reddit. Scrolled back a ways, and saw he had made himself a Reddit account a few days ago. He is 9 years old. He is just joining groups about video games- but I had never even thought about this place and whether or not it was appropriate. Thoughts?