Help your teen stay safe on UT-Messenger

We know you, as parents and guardians, want your teen to learn how to navigate the digital space in a healthy and safe way. We share information for parents and guardians on ways to help protect and support teens when they use UT-Messenger

Creating a safe space for teens to communicate is really important for UT-Messenger. We support parents and guardians to have open and ongoing conversations with your teen often about ways they can practice safe behaviors while using UT-Messenger.

Tips for chatting with your teen about privacy and safety while using UT-Messenger

  • 1. Walk through privacy settings together: Teach your teen about privacy settings and work together to help them choose the right privacy controls.
  • 2. Remind them about sharing: Help your teen understand what personal information to keep private and the importance of thinking about what they share with others.
  • 3. Show them how to use safety tools: Teach your teen to look out for common signs in potential scams and how to block and report other users or inappropriate messages.
  • 4. Talk about bullying and harassment: Have a conversation with your teen about how to handle bullying, harassment, and threatening messages.
  • 5. Remind them help is available: Encourage your teen to come to you with any questions or concerns they have while using UT-Messenger and walk through other sources of support.

    • How we prioritize privacy

    UT-Messenger has built-in layers of security to give you peace of mind.

    • Default privacy: No one can search for your phone number or read your personal messages.
    • Automatic spam detection: We catch and remove most spam and scam accounts before they can even contact you in your chats or before anyone reports them to us.
    • Proactive security alerts: We prompt you to verify your identity if we detect any suspicious or unauthorized attempts to take over your account.

    Explore more helpful security resources:

    • If you feel you or anyone else is in immediate danger, wishes to hurt themselves or others and you’re concerned for their safety, please contact your local emergency services or a suicide prevention hotline.
    • Content about child abuse or exploitation is strictly forbidden on UT-Messenger. If you receive or encounter this type of content, please contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) immediately and report the user through the reporting tool.