this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2025
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I think this was asked by someone already, but I do wonder. I think it would be cool if my sister joined the Fediverse (but blocked NSFW content). She is a high school freshman, but I can’t have her join an instance where you must be an adult.

I do have friends on other social medias that are 13+ with their teen siblings making an account to follow them, but what are the rules here??

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago

Kids shouldn't even be on social media, but at least the corporate ones are covering their ass against lawsuits well enough that they try to moderate content.

The Fediverse is not a place for kids. Servers catering especially towards kids are DEFINITELY not for kids, because that's exactly the kind of server I would build if I were a pedo.

The legal requirements for hosting content for kids are a massive headache that you definitely don't want to take on as a volunteer. The Fediverse can't even comply with the GDPR, let alone COPPA and its many international alternatives that actually see enforcement.

Of course I was a kid on the internet too and very few websites care about lying about your age, but if you do that and see the occasional dick, fetish porn or gore, you've only got yourself to blame. Plus, the Fediverse is full of misinformation, lies, and propaganda, from every side of the spectrum. Moderators can only do so much, and some moderators straight-up post misinformation and propaganda themselves. Best not to expose kids to any it that shit until their brains have developed a bit more.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Yeah man. I'm 40. There's plenty of instances you get a chance to be 13+

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 week ago

Why do you care?

If it's just about following the rules as a matter of principle, I suggest not doing that. Nobody is checking, and saying your exact age on public social media is oversharing anyway.

If it's about content moderation being strict enough to satisfy some comfort level, I wouldn't rely on that, but I also think 13 is old enough to start learning there are shitty people online and how to deal with them, preferably with some adult support.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm going to be real, the Fediverse is not where you want young teens and kids to be. A lot of extreme opinions are floating around, and the Fediverse still has the occasional spamwave which could contain NSFW content.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I suspect this is going to be true of pretty much any publicly accessible social media in general, parental controls built into the app or browser user access controls for censoring, time limits, or keeping them on a family friendly instance seems to be the right move

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

At least on something like Instagram they'd be around people their age and not a mostly older men demographic posting about politics 24/7 like the Fediverse is.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Most people will likely agree that 13 is too young, but it kind of depends on her maturity level too. I had unfettered internet access from about that age and I don't think it messed me up too bad... Lol.

Anyway, I don't really think there's many instances, if any, geared towards younger audiences. Maybe Beehaw would be a tamer one to look at?

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 week ago (1 children)
  1. Why the fuck do you want your 13 y o sister to look at this cesspit of protests and General politics?
  2. You can just usw any instance, if shes too young she will be banned because they can guess it from her immature posts anyway, and if not no one will care.
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

In my experience, immature posts are made by people well over 13.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

take the one you just replied to, for example.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Mine, sh.itjust.works is 16+.

There's nothing stopping your sister from just not mentioning her age, but 13 is pretty young for this kind of social media, in my opinion.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

Yeah. Our vibe here is kinda dark, and I feel that way as an adult who’se gone through lots of shit. It’s not the most cheery place. Trying to change that a little by little, cuz I love a lot of people here and it’s so unique!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

I know lemmy.world ISN’T 13+.