What do children and young people say to look out for:
16% of the children and young people who reviewed Pinterest thought that it can be risky. The main reason they gave is that you can’t control the content you see.
Why young people like it:
The main things that young people told us they liked about this site were:
- Seeing things you are interested in
- Inspiration for crafts and things to do
We asked parents whether they were asked to verify their phone number or email address to sign up to this site. We also asked them how easy or difficult it would be for a child to pretend to be older to sign up.
Parents say:
- “I would only say that it needs an adult to help set up a child's account and to oversee what they are looking at - the same as for any website.” - Mother of 13yr old girl
- “I registered through my Facebook account, therefore it was fairly straightforward. I assume it didn't ask any questions as I already should have been through security settings for Facebook.” – Mother of three
We asked parents how easy it was to find out how to report unsuitable content, to find out if the site is moderated, to block other users and to hide or report an unwanted message or picture.
Parents say:
- “Be very careful on this site; blocking can still leave pins visible.” - Father of 14yr old boy
- “There is a structure to report it.” – Mother of two
Young people say:
- 30% of young people who reviewed Pinterest said they know how to report on this site.
- 32% said they know how to block someone.
More information:
Read Pinterest’s pages on reporting here and blocking here.
We asked parents how easy it was to find information about privacy and to change the settings to ensure the account is private.
Parents say:
- “You can select the topics you like and set everything private so it is fairly safe.” – Mother of three
Young people say:
- 52% of young people who reviewed Pinterest said they know how to change their privacy settings on this site.
- 28% said they know how to turn off their location settings.
More information:
Read Pinterest’s privacy pages here and find out how to edit your settings here.
We asked parents how easy it was to find out whether this site has rules or community standards, to find safety information for children and parents, and to find links to support services.
Parents say:
- “The policies are there in quite a lot of detail and advice on where to go for help.” - Father of 14yr old boy
More information:
Visit the help pages here.
I know the internet is a great place – I’m happy for you to use it. I just want you to be OK.
