With parents starting to ask questions such as “is 4chan safe for their children,” it is important to understand this popular but contentious forum.
Although 4chan was initially a site for posting pictures and discussing anime and manga, it has become a home for lies and possibly many dangers.
This guide explores what parents should know about the 4chan environment. We look at its effects on users and how a child can be shielded from such platforms.
What is 4chan?
4chan is an imageboard website created in 2003 by Christopher Poole, who was at age 15. It consists of several boards with various themes. Here, people can share pictures and talk about anything from anime and video games to politics and other events.
Users do this all without having to register anywhere or give out any information that makes them personally identifiable.
What attracts young users to the site is its unique format and culture. Posts are temporary and deleted after some time, making the discussion environment very active.
This, coupled with complete anonymity, makes the platform naturally foster niche online subcultures as people do not have to behave according to conventional online norms.
4chan’s impact on internet culture is beyond measure. Most popular internet trends circulating on the internet can be traced back to 4chan, such as LOL Cats and Pepe the Frog.
Empower parents and protect teens; online safety starts with parental controls.
How does 4chan work?
4chan is an imageboard based on anonymity, where people on the site talk to each other through threads on different boards.
A board is dedicated to particular topics; for example, /b/ is for everything random and /v/ is for video games.
While creating a thread, users get to share an image and some text. The other users can then attach an image in the replies.
The new threads are placed at the bottom of the board. Although most of them will get deleted within minutes unless they get a reply.
Because of this, you have a high turnover rate for your content. As it retains only the content that attracts the user’s attention.
What is the age requirement on 4chan?
The official age requirement to use 4chan is 18 years of age.
This policy is outlined in their terms of service, where they endeavor to limit all forms of adult content or discussion that may be harmful to children.
However, this age restriction is not strictly policed. No user is subjected to strict verification procedures when they join the platform.
Why is 4chan controversial?
The site’s long history of hosting obscene material has led 4chan to find itself at the center of controversies.
The freedom that anonymity gives the users is often criticized as uncontrolled and unsupervised by criticism around the platform.
This anonymity usually leads to the establishment of hate speech, harassment and cyberbullying of individuals or groups.
Additionally, extreme cases of politically motivated extremism belonging to the alt-right and white superiority community have been associated with them.
It has served as a recruiting ground for these groups and also fueled other insane conspiracy theories like Pizzagate and QAnon.
While some people love it for the memes and the freedom, there are legitimate questions about whether 4chan is safe for teenagers.
Is 4chan safe for teens to use?
Is 4chan safe? 4chan is by no means safe for teens, particularly those under 18.
Although it can entertain creative conversations and attract specific groups to talk about certain topics, this is overshadowed by countless risks that parents should be aware of.
Content concerns
Some of these boards in 4chan permit content that is obscene, pornographic, or otherwise toxic information. Those boards don’t have many rules and moderation for content. Due to the relatively weak moderation of the site and its content. Inappropriate content can be placed on any board and at any time. This may include adult material, sexual topics, bias and hate speech.
Community behavior
Due to the anonymity of 4chan, users act in unfiltered ways, often indulging in whatever they wish without consequence. This has led to.
- Bullying and harassment via the internet, focusing on a particular person or a community.
- Pathological cultures that accept the deviation from the norm or extremism.
- Promoting risky stuff, such as jokes or dares, that are likely to lead to wrongdoings or harm.
It is through such communities that innocent teens can be influenced negatively. They may receive wrong information or be misled to make wrong decisions.
Psychological and social impact
Staying on 4chan or mimicking the conduct of the website can lead to numerous psychological consequences for teens.
- Exposure to scary, threatening, or emotionally disturbing materials can cause upset or distress.
- Inexperienced children are also prone to accept negative attitudes or beliefs endorsed by specific boards.
- Given the pace of discussions, the platform is highly addictive. This may result in spending more time on screens and losing healthy interaction with other people.
No age verification or safeguards
4chan states that its content is appropriate for users over 18. However, there is no way to ensure this is enforced. Users, especially teenagers, can easily access the site without any restrictions. They get to see and even interact with other users in a free way without any form of check.
Yes, 4chan does allow NSFW content and, in fact, some boards are dedicated to adult content. These boards have been associated with pornography. They depict sexual acts and other material which are detrimental to the welfare of children.
Moreover, NSFW content may leak to other boards on the platform as moderation is being enforced poorly.
However, technically, any content deemed unlawful is strictly banned and can be deleted upon complaint. This feature heavily depends on the users and is not very efficient.
4chan is believed to be one of the most anonymous websites. It is relatively easy to join, no registration is required, and many entries are marked “Anonymous.”
This is further enhanced by the absence of user profile, history or identification, making every post unconnected to a user.
Although this feature is intended to support the freedom of expression, it has problems that it comes with.
- Lack of accountability: Users could spread harmful, Offensive, and Illegal content like spreading toxic ideologies with no consequences.
- Misinformation: Lack of identity makes it almost impossible to determine whether the posted information is true.
- Psychological harm: In anonymous environments, people tend to act like they would not otherwise. This puts teens at risk of coming across detrimental forms of content or interactions.
While using 4chan may be attractive for some users who seek to experience freedom of speech. The anonymity multiplies the dangers especially when it comes to teenagers.
6 websites like 4chan parents should know
4chan is not the only imageboard that works anonymously. There are a number of other platforms with various characteristics and different levels of danger.
- Lainchan
Lainchan is an imageboard based on the anime Serial Experiments Lain, which specializes in technology, philosophy, and cyberculture. Although it isn’t as popular as 4chan, Lainchan still has a community of people. Users get to remain anonymous on the forum.
- 8kun
Originally called 8chan, 8kun enables users to start their own threads on any subject they want. As it also highly values the freedom of speech, this has given rise to sensitive materials and active discussions with radical points of view.
- 2chan
2chan is another imageboard site most closely related to 4chan but it is written mostly in Japanese. It features everything from anime to games and recent events, providing creative content and community interaction. However, the site promotes pornographic content and has a comment section that is not monitored.
- 7chan
7chan is an imageboard website that primarily features text posted mostly in the English language. It covers a multitude of subjects, from anime to gaming. The users can post anonymously, similar to 4chan. But while this promotes good conversations, it embraces toxicity.
- Endchan
Endchan is an imageboard that focuses on free speech. It allows users to create boards for a topic they are interested in. Despite being a useful tool for artists and forming communities, it is home to some of the more heated debates. And generally can contain NSFW content.
- Krautchan
Krautchan was an online imageboard that used the German language and had a very peculiar atmosphere and sense of humor. This platform may also share provocative content and memes. At the same time, it may contain toxic philosophies and inappropriate content.
How can FlashGet Kids protects your kids from 4chan and similar sites?
FlashGet Kids is an all-in-one parental control app that aims to assist parents in ensuring their kids are safe on sites like 4chan. It comes with tools that may help minimize the potential risks posed by unrestricted web zones considerably. These tools give parents different perspectives on their children’s online behavior and whether barriers and screen time limits need to be placed on their exploration.
Safety browser
FlashGet Kids comes with a safety browser feature, where a user is allowed only to visit websites that are listed in the system’s whitelist and banned from accessing those that are on the blacklist.
Parents can whitelist Web sites that children should visit while blacklisting sites that may contain graphic images like 4chan.
Screen mirroring
When children are using the devices, parents can access screen mirroring to see what the child is chatting, viewing, or posting. Parents are allowed to cast the child’s screen to their own device, which shows their current activities including browser history and used applications.
Snapshot
FlashGet Kids also has a screenshot function that captures the child’s screen after every set time. This Snapshot tool gives the parents a different view of the child’s online involvement and enables them to take protective actions for negative interactions.
Final words
In a nutshell, the 4chan is not as safe as you imagine. There are many dangers to teenagers using this platform. The anonymity of participation and the free content put before children are among the issues parents must pay attention to in 4chan.
Parents need to use protective tools like FlashGet Kids. And at the same time engage the child in a discussion about risks associated with the internet to keep them safe.
