You may be one of many
parents wondering, "What is Twitter"? We're here to provide you some
answers.
Twitter is an information network made up of 140-character messages called Tweets. It's a new and easy way to discover the latest news (“what’s happening”) related to subjects you care about. Here are some examples:
These
messages are posted to your profile or
your blog, sent to your
followers, and are searchable on Twitter
search. For more Twitter glossary terms, go here: Twitter
Glossary
Twitter is
unlike other social networking sites because most of the communication
taking place on Twitter is public and viewable to everyone. Since the
information posted is public, some of this data may be made available or
republished on other websites. Although there is a way to make your
tweets private, most users share them with everyone. To learn more about
public and protected accounts, check out this article: Public
and Protected Accounts on Twitter
If
you want to learn more about Twitter and how to sign up for your own
account, check out this section in the Help Center: Twitter
Basics.
What
happens if my child is being harassed on Twitter?
Twitter is great because it allows users to
communicate directly with each other, but just as in school or on the
playground, there are a few people who want to ruin things for everyone
else.
If your child is receiving
unwanted communications from another Twitter user, we generally
recommend that he or she block that user and end any communication.
Ending communication with bullies shows them that you are not willing to
engage with them, and often they lose interest. It also demonstrates to
others that your child is not involved in similar behavior and that he
or she is acting against bullying.
Many
bullying or harassment issues online usually start from problems
offline. Blocking prevents a user from following your child’s Tweets and
can minimize incentives to persist in the bullying conduct online. This
help page on blocking shows you how to
block other users. Twitter believes that bullying is a serious issue and
we have provided all users with the ability to block other users.
That said, since online harassment is usually rooted
in "real world" relationships, blocking another user is sometimes just a
temporary fix. Determined bullies may create new accounts on Twitter
and other social media services, so sometimes it is more helpful to deal
with the person or issue offline by working with school officials, the
bully’s parents, or other local authorities.
How
Do I Protect my Kids on Twitter?
Talking with your children about their online
activities is one of the best ways you can keep them safe. Being able to
maintain an ongoing, positive conversation with them about social
networking experiences online and offline may make them more likely to
talk to you when uncomfortable or potentially unsafe online situation
come up. Check out our Twitter
Basics section of the Help Center for more on how to
set up and use a Twitter account.
Following
someone on Twitter means that you are subscribing to their Tweets as a
Follower. When you follow another user, their updates will appear in
your
home timeline. That person also has
permission to send you private Tweets, called direct
messages. If you follow @JuneClippers, you'll get
their updates on your homepage when you log in, as shown below:
You
can also follow your child (or anyone else!) on Twitter in several
different ways, all of which are listed in this helpful article on how
to follow another user: How
to Follow Others. This can help you keep up with what
is happening with your child and allow you to understand what they may
be dealing with online.
More
Information on Twitter Tools
Bullying Resources
There are
lots of great online resources with more information for parents on
bullying:
Can you delete my child’s account?
Twitter only removes profiles that are in violation of
the Twitter
Rules and Terms
of Service. You should talk with your child and work
with him or her to remove the account by following these directions: http://support.twitter.com/articles/15358
Twitter is not for children under
the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from
children under 13. If you become aware that your child under the age of
13 has provided us with personal information without your consent,
please contact us at privacy@twitter.com,
and we will take steps to remove this information and terminate the
account. You can learn more by visiting Twitter’s Privacy Policy.
It's unlikely that your children would be in physical danger as a result of Twitter use (most teens know not to publicly share their physical location - and yours are no exception, right?) But, if you do feel you or your child is in danger, contact your local law enforcement for further assistance. Twitter does not actively monitor content, therefore we may not be aware of your issue. There is no substitute for calling your local law enforcement when physical safety is of immediate concern.
You may also want to contact school officials if you think the issue may be happening at or affecting school. Where kids are concerned, very often what happens online is based on school life and relationships. School officials may not be aware of your child's situation, but they may be able to offer further help. If you feel your issues are legal in nature, please seek advice from a lawyer. Twitter.com cannot offer any legal advice, nor can we provide other users' information without a subpoena or other court document.
Below are a few Twitter glossary terms relating to safety and abuse. If you don't see what you're looking for here, for more terms check out our full Twitter Glossary.
Blocking
To block someone on Twitter means they will be unable to follow you or add you to their lists, and we will not deliver their mentions to your mentions tab. Find out how to block others.
Hacked / Hacking
Gaining unauthorized access to an account via phishing, password guessing, or session stealing. Usually this is followed by unauthorized posts from the account. Users often use the word "hacking" for many things are not hacking.
Click here if you've been hacked, or, read more about how to keep your account safe.
Impersonation
Pretending to be someone on the internet that you are not. Impersonation that is intended to deceive is prohibited under the Twitter Rules. However, parody accounts are allowed. You can read more about Twitter's Impersonation policy.
Parody
To spoof or to make fun of something in jest. Twitter users are allowed to create parody Twitter accounts, as well as commentary and fan accounts. You can also read more on our Parody Guidelines page.
Phishing
Tricking a user to give up their username and password. This can happen by sending the user to fake login page, a page promising to get you more followers, or just simply asking for the username and password via a DM or email. Click here if your account has been phished.
Protected / Private Accounts
Twitter accounts are public by default. Choosing to protect your account means that your Tweets will only be seen by approved followers and will not appear in search. You can also read more about the differences on our public and protected accounts page.
Session Stealing
The exploitation of a valid computer session in order to gain unauthorized access to information or services in a computer system. In particular, it is used to refer to the theft of a magic cookie used to authenticate a user to a remote server.
Spam
Unwanted messaging or following on Twitter. We work hard to eliminate it. You can also read our reporting spam on Twitter page for more information.
Unfollow
To cease following another Twitter user. Their Tweets no longer show up in your home timeline. Learn how to unfollow here.
http://support.twitter.com/groups/33-report-a-violation/topics/166-safety-center/articles/470968-safety-parent-and-teen-tips
Twitter is 140 character mini-blog that answers the question "What are you doing?". Each post is known as a tweet and users 'follow' the tweets of their network. Often the tweet describe what an individual is doing, or working on. However there are many more possibilities, tweets can be responses to other tweets, questions to your twitter network, links to interesting resources. It is really hard to wrap one's head around until you start tweeting and build a personal network.
