Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Things you post online can stay around for a long time and can be out there for anyone to see. People of any age can post things they later regret being up there . That’s why it's always important to think carefully before posting anything that you might not want to be available later – you might also find our tips for staying safe online useful.

Taking control of your content is easier to do at the time you post it than it is years later, but there are some ways to have content removed when you no longer want online.

On Twitter you can request your account is deleted. To do this you will need to prove it's your account and first login – but if you can't remember your password you'll need to reset it. To reset a password you'll need to have access to the email account you used to set it up. If you don't have access to that email account anymore then it's going to be harder to prove you’re the owner of the account.

One thing you could try is to contact Twitter support and tell them it's an underage account. If it’s breaking their terms and conditions they might delete it based on that reason alone - especially if it's clear you’re under 13 in the pictures. If this doesn't work you can ask them about any other ways you can prove your identity without your email account.

It’s a good idea to have an email address set up that you only use for social media accounts. Choose a strong password for this email address that you only ever use for this account (don't use the same password anywhere else). This means in the future you should always have access to this email address because you'll still be using it for your current social media, as well as old ones. You can then use this to reset old passwords that you've forgotten if you need to access an old account.

I hope this has helped, I know it can be stressful when there's something online you want to delete. It's important to look after yourself and do what you can to stay in control of your social media. You can also talk to a Childline counsellor - they're there to support you when you need somewhere to turn. You can always talk to other young people on the Childline message boards too about what you’re going through.

Take care.

Sam

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