How Best To React To Brothers Social Media Use?

[Friendly Lion]

(I am Cool Cat but I am locked out of my account and can't figure out how to set up a new one)

Anyways, I'm at odds with how to deal with my younger bro. He is 14 and tweets literally every single thing that comes into his head on Twitter he uses it to have long conversations with friends. He tweets about family, school, people he likes and people he hates, usually by name. Except what he doesn't understand is that Twitter can be as public as you want it to be.

Unlike text messages which can be deleted every few months (as I would do) and are on a password protected device, Twitter is different.

Today he blocked me because I saw a tweet that was apparently fake, and a joke between friends that I misread as a sort of crisis post. I rang him to see if everything was okay.

He messaged me to say that he had allowed me to follow him on his account (its private) but didn't realise I'd been reading his tweets. He said he felt it was like me reading his text messages and didn't want me seeing his account.

Admittedly, I completely understand him not wanting me seeing his postings with friends. But Twitter is not like text messages, although his account is private, most of his friends accounts are public. And while he thinks the posts can only be seen by his friends, there is literally nothing stopping any of his followers (some of whom he does not know in real life) screenshotting or sharing his tweets. You could say that about here, but pretty much everyone uses a fake name and a fake photo, including me.

Basically I don't want to isolate myself from my younger bro, but like I'm trying to keep him safe online as he continues to post quite sensitive and controversial information with his real name and more than enough info to identify him. He sees it as being like a place for free text messages, but it really really isn't

 

[anthony]

You are right, and he is deluded in regard to privacy online. The problem is that you often just cannot get through to people, especially younger generations, that what they put online is online forever, and once you put it there, you no longer control it... regardless what you think, it is there. Like you say, others can retweet, share, favourite it, so forth, which then brings private content public, in full.

If he doesn't want it read, then he shouldn't put it online. Like you say... if he wants private, SMS he friends. Facebook and Twitter are not private, and your content remains forever, as their delete functions are only soft delete, not hard delete. All the content remains, including shared, favourited and retweeted stuff.

 

[anonymous]

Unfortunately your brother is going to have to learn the hard way, and in that lesson he may have major future regrets. He isn't going to listen to his older sister....

I'd check with the Admins on getting your account fixed. I don't think we are allowed to have more than one account.....well, last time I checked a few weeks ago.

 

[Senecia]

I'm only 20, so practicing internet safety was taught in my schooling a few times over the years. The assemblies always stressed how important it was to protect privacy, and how it "could be anyone" on the internet. It never really sank in for a lot of people, including me until later. In my psychology class I was learning about the frontal lobe in teenagers. They have a lot more difficulty making decisions regarding long-term consequences - all that matters to them is short-term. I guess, do the best you can to advise him, but honestly he's not really going to listen. Like anonymous said, he'll probably learn the hard way. Or, just with time and maturity...C'mon brain, catch up!

 

[Tanishq]

just with time and maturity...C'mon brain, catch up!

Like the way you said this. :)