Is Wattpad Safe? What Parents Should Know

Wattpad offers a platform for users to read and write stories. It's popular with all ages, but the average Wattpad user is 14-25 years old. You, as a parent, might wonder if Wattpad is safe for teens and if it is the right platform for your little ones.

Luckily, we have tested and researched this platform, so you don't have to. In the next few minutes, you'll unveil everything about Wattpad.

What is Wattpad

To better answer the question - is Wattpad safe to use, let's talk about what the platform is about.

Wattpad is a large online library and writing community, and very popular among teens and young adults. Launched in 2006, it boasts over 90 million users across the world.

From adventures and romances to mysteries and futuristic tales, Wattpad offers a wide range of genres to appeal to different readers. One of the biggest attractions of Wattpad is its community. Writers can get feedback and comments on their stories and interact directly with their readers.

Beyond being a place to write and read stories, this site has also changed the publishing world. Many stories that started on Wattpad have been turned into books, movies, and TV shows.

What Your Child Can Do on Wattpad

Wattpad offers a fun and engaging space for kids to explore their creativity. Here's a breakdown of the exciting things children can do on it:

✔️Create Stories: If your kids have a wild imagination and a flair for telling stories, Wattpad allows them to write and share their stories chapter by chapter with others.

✔️Participate in Writing Contests: Wattpad's writing contests encourage writers to keep writing and improving their skills. There is a chance to win cash prizes, publishing opportunities, access to professional mentorship, and many more.

✔️Discover Stories: The platform offers millions of titles where your children can find them by tags, genres, search bar, or recommendations.

✔️Interact with Other Book Lovers: Your child can connect with a community of fellow readers and writers through comments. They can even make friends who share their love for reading and writing.

Age Requirements for Wattpad

Is Wattpad safe for 10-year-olds? No! According to Wattpad's terms of service, users must be 13 years of age or older to create an account. It also states that any account found to be owned by a user under 13 will be terminated.

It's important to mention that While Wattpad has a 13-year-old age requirement on its platform, it has no age verification.

• App Store Rating for Wattpad: 17+
• Play Store Rating for Wattpad: Teen

Is Wattpad Safe for Kids and Teens

While the platform can be a fun place for kids who loves reading, like any platform, it has potential risks. Here are some risks your child may be exposed to while using Wattpad:

1Inappropriate stories are rampant

As stated above, Wattpad has tons of stories. By browsing their genres, you can find some genres that might not be the right choice for younger kids, such as horror, LGBTQ+, and New Adult.

While "Mature" is used to tag titles that may not be appropriate for young audiences, some authors don't rate their stories "Mature."

Let's mention that inappropriate content goes beyond stories with sexual content, but also violence or self-harm stories. Reading these stories, young users might mimic inappropriate behaviors or learn languages.

2Your Child can be bullied or harassed by comments

Beyond reading and writing, Wattpad offers the opportunity to connect. Sometimes, people might leave mean comments on stories your child writes or fight against your child's loved books. This can be hurtful for younger kids, especially when others have heated rhetoric.

3Long-time use can harm eyesight

Imagine, with so many fun stories available, will your kids not spend much time on Wattpad?

A report from Common Sense Media found that teen participants spent the most time on reading apps during the school night. This can hurt their eyes, especially at night without light, and mess up their sleep. In some cases, it could become a habit that's difficult to break, preventing them from engaging in offline activities.

4Cost large sums of money for paid stories

While most stories on Wattpad are free, some cost real money to unlock more chapters. If your child is indulged in it, spending is inevitable. It's important to know this and talk to your kid about spending money online.

5Fictions can pull your child out of the real world

With several amazing stories that take you to different imaginary places, it's easy to get lost in stories. It's crucial to keep things balanced because if your kid spends all their time reading novels, they might start living in the cloud and forget everything else they need to do.

Features to Keep Your Child Safe on Wattpad

Surely, Wattpad also offers different safety features to help customize and ensure a safe experience for young users. Let's look at these features.

Blocking Unwanted Tags

This allows your child to block specific tags associated with stories they don't want to see. For instance, if they're not interested in horror content, they can block the "horror" tag. Here's how to:

Disabling Mature Stories

Wattpad also has an option to filter out stories with explicit content and adult themes, which reduces your kid 's exposure to inappropriate themes.

Blocking Accounts

When encountering users who leave mean comments or post stories they find offensive, educate your child to block them. The blocked account from seeing your child's profile, reading your child's stories, and interacting with your child on Wattpad.

Should Your Child Use Wattpad?

It is at your discretion as a parent to determine whether to allow your children to use Wattpad.

• If you think the dark sides of Wattpad are under control, always apply the above built-in safety features and encourage them to maintain a healthy balance between Wattpad and other activities.
• If you decide to go against it, you can use apps like AirDroid Parental Control to block this app on your child's phone.