Parents' Guide to

Threads

Threads logo: Black background with a white "at" symbol

Common Sense Media Review

Laura Ordonez By Laura Ordonez , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Meta's text-based Twitter competitor; some privacy concerns.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 11+

Based on 1 parent review

age 11+

Nice

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

At last, a formidable competitor to the almighty Twitter. Though not without its flaws -- and certainly not without its data diving -- Threads (so far) offers a nice respite from the toxic Twitter-sphere and all its drama. Where Twitter feels like a battleground, Threads feels like Sunday brunch with your closest friends. Of course, it's not perfect by any means. The launch algorithm is a mess (which means it's not ideal for getting up-to-date news or breaking trends), the feed can feel like a free for all, you have to go searching for the content you want with very little direction, and you might as well hand over your keys and give up your firstborn with the amount of personal information you sign off to Meta when you agree to the app's terms and conditions. Hopefully, a lot of the foundation and usability issues will be addressed in future updates. In order to really succeed, Threads will need to keep the momentum of its feel-good content and heartfelt connection, as well as its less restrictive features.

As far as a safe space for kids to share and communicate, Threads is probably best reserved for teens who feel they can handle social media responsibly. In many ways, it could serve as an entry point to social media (if that's something kids are expressing interest in), since it currently doesn't rely heavily on sharing filtered images, comparing curated versions of your identity, constantly coming up with new ideas for videos, or staying on top of content trends. Instead, Threads offers the chance to dive a bit deeper, allowing for freedom of expression and ideas through written word first and giving teens (and adults) a nice break from the sensory overload of platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram.

App Details

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