Just imagine your teen is diving into the world of thrilling stories that are well beyond their age limit. That fantasy world could be Wattpad. Although Wattpad allows users to create and share stories freely, it also has some age-restrictive themes that are not appropriate for younger audiences. So, it is vital to protect your child’s online world as a parent. To assist you in this case, we will walk you through what Wattpad is, Wattpad smut, age limits, safety concerns, how to protect your kids, and more. So, just stay connected!
What is Wattpad?
“Wattpad is a site where people can both read and write short stories. It is independent in allowing aspiring writers an appropriate platform to publish their work without any cost.”
Readers alone can access stories in different categories, such as romance, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and even drama. You can log in through the website and the mobile application, which makes it more user-friendly, as stories can be read anywhere.
What is Wattpad mainly used for?
Wattpad is mostly known for sharing, writing, and reading stories. It offers the following:
- Reading and writing: Users can read and publish stories of their choice in different genres.
- Community engagement: Readers can interact with writers through comments and vote on their favourite stories.
- Writing challenges: Wattpad hosts challenges and competitions to expose talent in writing.
- Wattpad premium: Wattpad allows a paid subscription that removes ads and provides other additional perks.
- Wattpad studios: It is an appreciable point that Wattpad provides an opportunity for writers to gain recognition from publishers and production companies.
- Personalized recommendations: Suggest stories to users through algorithms based on their preferences.
Is there an age limit on Wattpad?
Wattpad has an age restriction as users need to be a minimum of 13 years old to create an account. Some other considerations are:
- Mature content: Stories titled ‘Mature’ can only be accessed by those aged 17 and older.
- Content warnings: Certain stories are accompanied by disclaimers to forewarn readers of sensitive topics.
Does Wattpad have parental control?
Wattpad does not have any hard and fast parental controls. However, tools exist to help restrict access to some mature content:
- External parental controls: Parents can set restrictions on the devices or programs ( e.g., the FlashGet Kids app ) to monitor a child’s internet usage.
- User reporting system: Readers are able to submit reports detailing the inappropriate content they encountered. So, Wattpad takes appropriate actions if it finds the claim warranted.
As the platform is open for user-generated content, parents must play an active role in the reading habits of a child. Talking to children about online safety and responsible content selection is very important when using Wattpad.
Use parental control to ensure kids’ online safety!
Does Wattpad allow smut?
Yes, Wattpad allows mature content, but it has some restrictions on stories with explicit sexual content. Stories solely focused on explicit content can face the danger of restriction and being banned entirely. Writers have to label their content accurately. And, you know those below seventeen cannot view stories that are rated to hold mature content.
How does Wattpad regulate smut and other explicit content?
The explicit content policies are exhaustive and are guaranteed to be accurate. There are several “porn Wattpad” style accounts or “short smut stories” that need to be handled differently and these accounts are subject to dual moderation. Writers have to label mature-themed stories and utilize mature content tags so underage users cannot access them.
- Community moderation: Users can flag rule violations and inappropriate content. Additionally, Wattpad has staff moderators who review flagged accounts for compliance.
- Prohibited content policies: The publication of pornographic content or any narratives that revolve solely around graphic sexual activities is not permitted.
- Automatic content detection: Readers and scout staff are able to utilize automated technology that analyzes and further hides the visibility of restricted content.
- Age restrictions: As we discussed before, only those who are 17 years or older can view sensitive, Mature-rated stories. So, Wattpad is limiting exposure towards minors.
- Content warnings: Disclaimers are present in many stories to warn readers of sensitive material that is not ideal for readers who would find them triggering.
While the site allows a few romance stories and mildly erotic novels, the level of tolerance for misuse of the site remains very low. Those who breach the content guidelines are at risk of having their content deleted or their accounts banned.
Why is smut content on Wattpad a concern for parents?
Parents, especially those with teenage children, are most concerned about the explicit nature of some content available.
Reasons for concern:
- Emotional and mental overload: Having access to explicit material from a younger age can be overwhelming for a very young mind. Such material can severely distort their real life where kids have unrealistic relationships and sexual behaviour expectations.
- Possibility of improper conversations: Users of Wattpad can comment and message one another, and sometimes there are scammers or predators on these sites looking for emotionally vulnerable kids and entrap them in their bad friendship.
- Developing impressions: Very young readers who are emotionally vulnerable and immature will never fully understand the high-level minds of writers, which may lead them on a never-ending chase about bad habits or day dreaming, so their studies & social life can get affected.
To mitigate this issue, caregivers should always track their children’s activities on the Internet and determine what constitutes safe and responsible reading.
What should parents do if their kid is using Wattpad?
If your child has an account on Wattpad, it is vital to protect their overall well-being while engaged on the platform. Activities parents should consider include:
- Knowing about Wattpad and its potential dangers
Before anything else, as a parent, you have to do your research on Wattpad and its potential dangers. You know various genres are available in stories, such as romance, fantasy, horror, and more. With that being said, some stories do have parentally inappropriate themes, and some do not have a parental control feature. Understanding available materials will help aid in decision-making.
- Turn on content filters
Wattpad has a “Mature” content filter which can help block inappropriate stories. That setting filters explicit stories, so do ensure this setting is turned ON in your child’s account. Relatively ineffective, it helps limit unsuitable material.
- Teach internet safety
Interacting in comments and sending private messages does take place with many other users on Wattpad. Tell your child to take online safety seriously. Not communicate with strangers, and they shouldn’t share personal information at all.
- Use parental controls
Monitor what your child is writing as well as regularly reading. Discuss their favorite stories and what they like most about them. This will give you insights into their interests while simultaneously protecting them from harmful content. Because Wattpad’s parental controls are not effective, it is advisable to use external monitoring apps like the FlashGetKids app to supervise the child’s online activity and screen usage.
Given these strategies, parents can maintain their children’s safety on the platform while ensuring that they are not overexposed to unsuitable content by establishing boundaries, remaining active, and encouraging communication with their children.
How can parents block Wattpad for their children?
To protect your child from coming into contact with Wattpad, you may take assistance from FlashGet Kids. This is one of the best parental control programs that lets you supervise your child’s device activity. Below are simple guidelines to block Wattpad within FlashGet Kids:
With the use of the browser safety feature of FlashGet Kids, you can effectively and easily block any website you don’t want your kids to access. After doing the below setting, if your kid tries to access the restricted site, then it will inform you immediately.
How to block Wattpad using the FlashGet Kids app
Step 1. Open the FlashGet Kids app and go to “Browse safety.” You simply have to click “enable browse safety.”
Step 2. Keep in mind that by using the browse safety feature of FlashGet, you can do two types of settings.
- Whitelist: It would be the list of websites that you want to allow your kids. Go to “URL Whitelist” > “Add URL”.
- Blacklist: It would be the websites that you are going to block on your kids. Now to block Wattpad on your kid’s device, just tap on “URL blacklist” > “Add URL” of Wattpad or you can choose “Add via browser history”.
Step 3. Now, go to the “Browser blocking mode” and then “Blocking mode”. Now you can decide between “Block URL blacklist” and “ Only allow URL whitelist”.
Step 4. Finally, you can click on “Notice” > “Browser safety” > “History” to see your browsing history. Now, you can click “Blocked” to make sure you have blocked Wattpad.
3 Wattpad Alternatives: Safe and age-appropriate for Teens
For those who are less inclined to use Wattpad, here are three suggestions that we can say are the best alternatives for Wattpad.
Epic
Epic! is a reading platform specifically designed to cater to books for children and teenagers with thousands of collections of different genres available across the globe. Unlike Wattpad, it is more focused as it ensures all pieces of content are age-appropriate.
Also, the platform has no ads on it, therefore allowing a safe place for children to read and not be exposed to toxic material. It’s the perfect fit for younger audiences who are fond of stories but work in a more relaxed space.
Sweek
Sweek is an online portal where users or readers can access stories while also having a chance to publish their own work. Similar to Wattpad, it’s a safer platform for teenagers as it has stricter content guidelines. There are also writing contests that try to evoke creativity. Sweek is perfect for beginners who want to post their work without exposing inappropriate content.
Amazon Kindle Kids+
With Amazon Kindle Kids+, there’s no limit on the number of books children can access, and it features best-selling collections across children’s and teen fiction. Everything is extensively monitored by strict parental control. Furthermore, parents can supervise reading activities while also administering time limits and controlling unsafe content. This is best suited for teenagers who tend to ignore self-published content and lean towards famous novels.
All of these platforms ensure the proper use of age-applicable narratives, taking into consideration that teens can read all they want. So kids can enjoy their stories without having to deal with problematic content.
Final thoughts
Even though writers and readers find WattPad useful, its content is highly controversial for parents due to Wattpad smut. Therefore, it is important to monitor the digital activities of your child. Epic!, Sweek, and Kindle Kids+ are far more useful. For utmost safety, FlashGet Kids provides an efficient filter for dangerous content, alongside effective screen time management. Protecting children online is crucial, which is why FlashGet Kids is a sound choice for this concern.
FAQs
Wattpad is relatively safe, but it may include adult subject matter. Lack of parental supervision, content blocks, and failure to talk openly about the internet are ineffective measures, particularly for younger users accessing new content.
Yes, violence, romance, and other mature themes do feature in some stories on Wattpad. Whenever appropriate, teenagers can bear the consequences of these stories even if the platform does indeed provide content warnings. Parents not having control or supervision or careful filtering will put younger users at risk.
Wattpad allows users aged 13 and older to register, though some of the content might not be appropriate for teenagers. Therefore, parents must supervise their children’s activity, set content filters, and guide them towards appropriate stories in order to limit the chances of exposure to inappropriate content.
Wattpad has no issues allowing NSFW content so long as it is marked as Mature. That said, there are children that may find explicit and inappropriate stories, as some are not labeled. Parents ought to set an NSFW filter and actively monitor what their children read.
