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Dare to Care

Navigating Teen Apps: Setup & Safety Guide

Writer: Sarah Hébert
Sarah Hébert
7 hours ago
5 min read

Learn how to set up your teen’s social media accounts securely with this quick guide on what settings to adjust and what risks to watch out for. (Last update: October 2026)



Remember: Privacy settings are a tool, not a substitute for active parenting. As adults and caregivers, we cannot expect age restrictions, parental controls, or platform safety features to fully protect our kids. There are always ways around them—and kids are incredibly savvy when it comes to technology. 


Giving your child a phone isn't simply about deciding whether they are ready for one. It's also about asking whether you, as a parent or caregiver, are ready to take full ownership of what comes with it. That means setting boundaries, holding your child accountable, staying informed, and having regular, honest check-ins about what they are seeing, doing, and experiencing online.


Part of this responsibility includes teaching kids about:

  • their online responsibilities;

  • how to self-monitor;

  • reminding them that everything online is public and permanent;

  • and can sometimes be against the law.


Technology can open the door to some incredibly difficult conversations. Cyberbullying, the manosphere and negative influencers, discrimination and hate speech, the difference between free speech and harmful content such as misogyny, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia, coercion, sextortion, pornography, and other forms of online harm are conversations that cannot be avoided simply because they are uncomfortable.


If you're not ready to have those conversations, your child may not be ready for a phone. The goal isn't to scare kids away from technology or to monitor their every move. It's to make sure that when they encounter something difficult, confusing, or harmful online, they know they can come to you—and that you're prepared to help them navigate it.



1. Snapchat


Step-by-Step Setup

  1. Create an Account: Download Snapchat on your phone and set up your own parent profile.

  2. Send a Family Center Invite: On your phone, tap your Profile icon > Settings (gear icon) > scroll down to Privacy Controls and select Family Center. Search for your teen’s username and send them an invite. (Note: Parents and teens must add each other as friends on Snapchat first before the Family Center invite can be sent.)

  3. Accept on Teen's Phone: Open Snapchat on your teen’s phone, accept the invite, and confirm the pairing link.

  4. Enable Ghost Mode: On your teen’s app, tap the Map icon at the bottom > tap Settings (gear icon) > turn on Ghost Mode ("Until Turned Off") so their physical location is never broadcast on the Snap Map.


What to Watch Out For

  • Unilateral Unlinking: Teens can disconnect Family Center or turn off Ghost Mode at any time without your approval. You will get a notification, but it requires active check-ins.

  • No Message Content Visibility: Family Center only shows who your child messaged or friended in the last 7 days—it does not show actual text or photo contents.


2. Instagram


Step-by-Step Setup

  1. Automatic Teen Account Settings: Accounts registered to users under 16 are automatically converted to Teen Accounts with built-in private account defaults and strict message restrictions.

  2. Link via Family Center: Open Instagram on your phone, go to your Profile > Menu (☰) > Family Center. Send a supervision invite to your teen’s profile.

  3. Lock Settings: Once accepted, go into your Family Center dashboard to set daily time limits, schedule downtime, and turn on the requirement that teens must request parent approval before changing their privacy or content filters.

  4. Restrict Direct Messages: Confirm in settings that direct messages are set to "People You Follow Only" so unknown profiles cannot message your child.


What to Watch Out For

  • Secondary "Finsta" Profiles: Teens often set up secondary, unlinked accounts (Finstas) under different emails to bypass locked restrictions on their main Teen Account.

  • External Screen Recording: Disappearing messages sent via Direct Messages can still be recorded on a second device without triggering a system alert.


3. TikTok


Step-by-Step Setup

  1. Access Family Pairing: Open TikTok on your phone, tap Profile > Menu (☰) > Settings and privacy > Family Pairing.

  2. Scan QR Code: Select Parent to generate a QR code on your phone. On your teen’s phone, open the same menu, select Teen, and scan your QR code to pair the accounts.

  3. Configure Safety Limits:

  4. Account Privacy: Toggle their account to Private.

  5. Direct Messages: Set DMs to "No One" or "Friends Only".

  6. Duets / Stitches / Comments: Turn off or restrict who can Duet, Stitch, or comment on their videos.

  7. Screen Time & Search: Set daily limits and turn off the Search feature if you want to limit feed exposure.


What to Watch Out For

  • Bypassing In-App Search via Web Browsers: Teens can view unfiltered TikTok videos via mobile web browsers without logging into the restricted app account.

  • Comment Section Dogpiling: Public accounts are vulnerable to automated spam or mass abusive comments on viral posts.


4. Roblox


Step-by-Step Setup

  1. Link Parent Account: Create your own adult Roblox account. Have your child go to Settings > Parental Controls on their account, tap Add Parent, and type in your email.

  2. Verify Adult ID: Complete the link by following the email instructions and verifying your age using a government ID or credit card.

  3. Manage Communication Controls: From your account dashboard, navigate to Parental Controls (or Privacy & Content):

  4. Set Experience Chat (in-game public text) to Off or restricted.

  5. Turn Direct Experience Chat (1-on-1 private messaging) to Off.

  6. Set Content Maturity: Adjust the Content Maturity slider to restrict access to experiences designed for older audiences.


What to Watch Out For

  • Evasion Slang ("Leetspeak"): Roblox filters block explicit words, but players routinely bypass filters using symbols, spaces, or intentional misspellings to bully or exchange off-platform handles.

  • Off-Platform Luring: Game creators or players frequently paste Discord or social media invites inside game descriptions to pull children into unmonitored external chat rooms.


5. Discord


Step-by-Step Setup

  1. Open Family Center: Open Discord on your teen's phone, go to User Settings > Family Center, and select Connect with Parent to generate a QR code.

  2. Scan Code: Open Discord on your phone, go to User Settings > Family Center, tap Scan QR Code, and scan the code on your teen's screen.

  3. Set Privacy & Safety Controls: On your teen’s app, navigate to User Settings > Privacy & Safety:

  4. Set Direct Message Safety Filters to "Filter all direct messages" (scans and blocks explicit media).

  5. Toggle "Allow direct messages from server members" to OFF so strangers in shared servers cannot message them privately.

  6. Restrict "Who can add you as a friend" to "Friends of Friends" or "Server Members only."


What to Watch Out For

  • Voice Channel Silence: Discord Family Center tracks newly added friends, server joins, and direct message contacts, but it cannot monitor live audio calls in voice channels or screen-share streams.

  • Malicious Links & Bot Invites: Untrusted servers often contain automated bots that send malicious phishing links or harmful spam directly to members.


Global Safety Considerations & Systemic Limits 

While in-app controls provide an essential first layer of protection, parents must remain aware of platform-wide limitations, most notably the lack of reliable, universal age verification. Because most social media networks still rely heavily on self-reported birthdates during registration, children routinely bypass built-in safety rules simply by lying about their age. Registering an adult birthdate allows minors to bypass default Teen Account protections, access unrestricted search results, and avoid parental supervision tools altogether. Furthermore, tech platforms continuously struggle to catch fake birthdates or secondary burner accounts. Because digital safeguards are rarely foolproof on their own, app settings should always be paired with device-level controls (such as Apple Screen Time or Google Family Link) and active, non-judgmental conversations at home.



Resources

To report online harm and learn about digital safety: Visit Cybertip.ca.

For resources on bullying prevention: Check out our blog at Dare to Care.

For age-specific digital guides and app reviews: Explore ProtectKidsOnline.ca.

For help with non-consensual image sharing or online luring: Access support at NeedHelpNow.ca.

For digital media literacy, privacy, and screen time tools: Browse resources on MediaSmarts.

For home cybersecurity and parental control setup: Read guides from the Government of Canada at Get Cyber Safe.

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