Children First will no longer have a presence on the platform formerly known as Twitter

A Scottish children’s charity has announced it is joining the ongoing exodus of the social media site X. 

The platform, formerly known as Twitter, has seen millions of users remove accounts in recent weeks, with concerns raised since the site was bought by billionaire Elon Musk. 

Significant discussion has taken place - particularly since Musk’s promotion of American president-elect Donald Trump - with more and more charities taking the decision to remove themselves. 

Children First has now joined this number, warning of the negative impact the site could have on young people. 

In a statement, the charity said: “Today, as we celebrate World Children’s Day, a global day of action on children’s rights, we are sharing our decision to leave the X social media platform.  

“Last month, we announced that Scotland faces a national childhood emergency. The challenges and threats which children face require a nuanced and collaborative response from politicians, the media, businesses, professionals and the public. 

“As Scotland’s national children’s charity, we want to engage in discussion and debate that recognises the complexity of the challenges children face in an environment that is respectful, tolerant and solution focused. We no longer believe that X provides a positive space to achieve our goals to progress children’s rights.  

“In leaving X we will be losing our largest single social media audience, at a time when children and young people need our support more than ever. While we continue to review our presence across social media platforms to most effectively reach and engage all those who would donate, partner and campaign with us, the best way for audiences to support our work is through our website.”