Telegram: the parent’s guide
Weak moderation + end-to-end encryption + 200K-member groups. Here’s the honest parent take.
What Telegram is
Telegram is a messaging app with channels, groups (Telegram’s own FAQ puts the ceiling at 200,000 people), and end-to-end encrypted “Secret Chats.” It’s popular for gaming communities, content sharing, and (due to weak moderation) content parents would rather their kids didn’t see.
Minimum age
Telegram’s terms require users in the EU, the UK and Australia to be at least 18. The terms name no other minimum, so outside those countries Telegram sets no age of its own. Nothing is verified at sign-up either way.
Why it’s tricky
- Moderation is weaker than WhatsApp or iMessage. Channels dedicated to pirated content, scams, and adult material are widely joined.
- Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted and can self-destruct — no monitoring tool can read them.
- “People Nearby,” which used to show your kid to strangers on a map, was removed by Telegram in September 2024. Older advice telling you to switch it off is out of date — the setting is gone.
Settings to lock down
- Privacy and Security › Phone Number › Who can see my phone number — Nobody.
- Privacy and Security › Last Seen — Nobody or My Contacts.
- Privacy and Security › Profile Photo — My Contacts.
- Privacy and Security › Calls — Nobody or My Contacts.
- Privacy and Security › Who can add me to groups — My Contacts (otherwise strangers can pull kid into groups).
- Privacy and Security › Two-Step Verification — on, with a recovery email.
- Sensitive content filter — on.
Channels and groups
Tell your kid: join only channels you’d describe to a parent. Leave any channel that posts adult content, hate content, or sales pitches for “investments.”
Recommendation
For under-14, block Telegram entirely — and in the EU, the UK or Australia, Telegram’s own terms put that line at 18. For older teens elsewhere, allow with the above settings and a “show me your channels” periodic audit. Telegram is never the only messenger a teen needs — usually they have iMessage, WhatsApp, or Discord, and Telegram is the one with the riskiest communities.
What was checked, and when. Minimum age, secret chats and the privacy settings verified against the vendor’s own documentation on 2026-09-08. Not reached in that pass: the People Nearby removal date.
Common questions
Why is Telegram riskier than WhatsApp?
Moderation is considerably weaker. Channels dedicated to pirated content, scams and adult material are widely joined, groups run to the 200,000 members Telegram’s own FAQ allows, and Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted and self-destructing, so no monitoring tool can read them.
What happened to Telegram’s “People Nearby” setting?
It is gone. People Nearby used to show your child to strangers on a map, and Telegram removed it in September 2024, replacing it with Businesses Nearby. If you are following older advice that tells you to switch it off, there is no longer a setting to find.
Which Telegram privacy settings matter?
Under Privacy and Security: phone number visible to Nobody, Last Seen to Nobody or My Contacts, profile photo to My Contacts, calls to Nobody or My Contacts, “Who can add me to groups” to My Contacts, two-step verification on with a recovery email, and the sensitive content filter on.
Should my child use Telegram at all?
For under-14s, block it — and in the EU, the UK or Australia, Telegram’s own terms put that line at 18. For older teens elsewhere, allow it with the settings above and a periodic “show me your channels” audit. Telegram is never the only messenger a teen needs — they usually also have iMessage, WhatsApp or Discord, and Telegram is the one with the riskiest communities.
When parental controls change
App privacy settings change quietly, usually in the app's favour. Roughly monthly we send new guides, changes to controls like these, and scams worth knowing about.
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