red flags minors should look for when interacting with adults on stan twitter: a thread!

a few disclaimers before i start!
disclaimer 1: i’m 18 and haven’t graduated high school yet. these are my opinions as someone who’s kind of in a weird middle ground between minor and adult.

disclaimer 2: i absolutely guarantee that as i get older, these opinions will change! i’m pretty sure that as i grow more into being an adult, i’ll feel a lot stricter about these.

disclaimer 3: this is not a call out for anyone specifically nor am i trying to start drama! these are just some things that i’ve observed as someone who’s been in fan spaces starting from a young age. i want to use my own experience to try and help minors feel safer!

disclaimer 4: stan twitter is supposed to be something that is fun! there’s nothing wrong with adults being here and making friends. however, they do have a responsibility to act responsibly around the minors who make up the majority of this community.

LASTLY: there is grey area when it comes to the adult/minor gap! there isn’t a huge difference between someone who is 18 and someone who is 17. there isn’t a hard line of separation there and i don’t want to make it seem like there is!

alright, let’s start! here are some red flags that minors on stan twitter should know to look for when interacting with adults. in my opinion, these are often signs that the adult is not conducting themselves properly among minors.

1: adults who try to hide the fact that they’re adults. adults on twit should make it clear that they’re adults somewhere in their layout, esp when a fandom is mostly comprised of minors. if they don’t, they’re probably hiding their age for a reason.

2: adults who flirt w minors. this one can be grey, because minors don’t always state their age. however, adults should assume that everyone here is a minor unless otherwise stated. if an adult is repeatedly flirting w u, esp in a way that makes u uncomfy, that’s a red flag.

3: adults who sexualize or romanticize teens they stan. this is more or less in the same vein as #2, but in fandoms where the actors are mostly comprised of minors, adults should never say anything sexual about the actors or otherwise indicate that they think they’re attractive.

4: adults who share nsfw content with you. if you’re on the priv of an adult, or in a gc with them, they shouldn’t be sharing content that is sexual, about drugs, or anything like that. this includes tweets about being horny. it’s not appropriate conduct around minors.

5: adults who try to get you to video/voice chat alone. if an adult is trying to spend time with you outside of a group setting, such as a group chat zoom call, that could be a red flag. personally, i’m against it. there is no reason an adult needs to facetime you and only you.

6: adults who try to ask you for advice. this is less of a red flag for grooming and more of a red flag for immaturity. no adult needs to ask for advice from someone way younger than them. there are differences in maturity there, and adults should know better.

7: adults who are overly involved in stan drama. don’t get me wrong, i don’t mean drama where someone is being called out for being racist/sexist/etc. i mean petty drama, particularly concerning minors. adults who feel the need to comment on drama are typically immature and toxic

8: adults whose vibes feel wrong. if your gut is telling you that someone over the age of 18 on this app is a little off, just unfollow them! you don’t need to feel guilty for doing something that’s in the best interest of your safety.

if you have any questions, or contradicting opinions regarding anything i’ve said in this thread, go ahead and shoot me a dm! i would be more than happy to chat. thanks for reading!