Wattpad users can read and write original stories on this online literature portal. According to its developers, Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen, the website's goal is to tear down barriers between readers and authors and to build social groups around stories.
Users of the platform can read other users' stories or submit their own to share. The acquisition of Wattpad by Naver Corporation was announced in January 2021 and completed in May 2021. As of November 2021, more than 90 million people visit Wattpad each month, and they can engage directly with the authors and other readers.
Wattpad supports over 50 languages, and every year, nearly 300,000 writers from 35 different countries compete in The Watty Awards, the world's largest literary competition.
Several of these stories, including After and The Kissing Booth, have been made into television dramas and films.
Wattpad Books, a publishing division, was launched in January 2019 to take the "guesswork" out of publication for authors.
Wattpad's History
Wattpad was founded in 2006 as a consequence of the collaboration of Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen.
The company's headquarters are in Toronto, Ontario.
In February 2007, Wattpad added over 17,000 e-books from Project Gutenberg and made them available to mobile users.
According to a Wattpad press release from June 2009, over 5 million individuals had downloaded the application.
In March 2009, an iPhone version was unveiled. Following this were launches for Google Android in June 2009, BlackBerry App World in April 2009, and the Apple iPad in April 2010.
In December 2015, Microsoft released Windows Phone 8.1 and the mobile version of Windows 10. Wattpad currently has over 90 million members who spend 15 billion minutes per month on the site. As of 2018, Wattpad had received over 400 million fanfiction submissions.
Wattpad's old logo, used between 2006 and 2018. The initial letter "W" is an upside-down letter "M." Wattpad Corporation deemed it to be somewhat stagnant and dated.
Wattpad had received around $117.8 million USD from investors by the beginning of 2018. Wattpad said in 2011 that it had received a total of $3.5 million in funding from W Media Ventures, Golden Venture Partners, Union Square Ventures, and its current supporters. Then, in June 2012, Wattpad received $17.3 million from a collection of venture capital firms led by Khosla Ventures.
Wattpad raised $46 million in Series C funding in April 2014, led by OMERS Ventures.
Wattpad said in January 2018 that it has obtained USD $51 million in funding from Tencent Holdings Limited, BDC, Globe Telecom's Kickstart Ventures, Peterson Group, Canso, and current investor Raine.
What is Wattpad
Wattpad, a social reading platform, connects readers and writers online. It invites users to create and share creative works in genres such as teen fiction, poetry, action, and adventure.
Wattpad, which was created in Canada in 2006, features stories ranging from Project Gutenberg's public domain to those authored by local users who may subsequently distribute them for a wider audience. As a result, teenagers and young adults can write with the knowledge that their work will be read by a large number of people. As a result, it's critical that youngsters understand how to stay safe on Wattpad.
Wattpad provides
Wattpad offers a variety of ways to categorize its stories and other forms of content, which can help users avoid inappropriate material or find the exact topic matter they want to read and write about.
Content that has been tagged is available to Wattpad authors. These tags work in the same way as hashtags do on social media. Users can then search those categories to get the stories and content they're looking for. These tags should be specific and advise visitors whether the content is appropriate for them. Users can add forbidden tags to avoid seeing specific content.
A story's age classification can be selected as "Mature" or "Everyone." Wattpad's mature or "new adult" stories have an age rating of 17 and up. Users under this age can still access these stories, so it's critical to discuss what is and isn't appropriate for their age with your child.
Readers can save their favorite tales to reading lists for easy access. These are made public on user profiles, where they might help individuals connect or start a dialogue.
The Wattpad app or web browser allow for in-app writing. Instead of having to wait till they have a computer in front of them, users of mobile devices can write whenever and wherever they want.
If you follow a story or an author, you will receive push notifications on your phone or via email anytime new content is available. In essence, viewers can read the story as it is being written rather than waiting for it to be completed.
Users can take advantage of this feature to monetize their Wattpad writing. Users can support their favorite Wattpad novels and authors by donating Coins, akin to virtual gifts on streaming or Patreon. These must be purchased with real money through Apple or Google Play accounts, and parents and caregivers should monitor them.
Who employs it?
Over 90 million visitors read and contribute to the site each month, consuming stories for over 23 billion minutes. The majority of users—90%—are between the ages of 13 and 40, with many writers being older teenagers or young adults.
Wattpad has a minimum age requirement
According to Wattpad's Terms of Service, users must be at least 13 years old. Anyone under the age of 18 will have their account closed.
Some of the content on Wattpad is intended for adults. Every user has the opportunity to add a story, thus it is up to them to select the appropriate categories. If your kid comes across any stories that are not properly labeled, he or she should report them. Users can also exclude mature-content stories from their suggested reading lists.
Is it appropriate for children?
Some categories that are appropriate for their age range are easily accessible to children, while others are not. Each category contains a variety of content, ranging from romance and fan fiction to LGBTQ+ and adventures. There's also a "New Adult" category, which includes sexual, love, and romance stories with titles like "booty call" and "I slept with my stepbrother," as well as "smut" stories with explicit language and sex.
There are several choices on Wattpad for controlling what young children view and keeping them safe.
Privacy and security settings
Despite the lack of specific parental controls, Wattpad contains a lot of elements that can assist your child in remaining safe while using the app. Set them up together to aid in their understanding of the situation and empowerment over their own safety.
- Send in a story: Press the three horizontal lines in the top right corner of any story in the app. Then choose "Report." Choose a rationale, then explain how the incident connects to the complaint. To submit, select REPORT.
- Go to a user's profile page, hit the three dots in the top right corner, pick "Report," type the reason, and then tap "Report."
- Muted user: Select "Mute" from the three dots in the top right corner of the user's page. You can confirm by selecting "Mute" once more. When a user mutes you, they are no longer able to follow you, message you, post on your profile, or comment on your stories.
- Users can manage the notifications they get or turn them off entirely. To do this, go to your profile and click the gear symbol in the upper right-hand corner. Uncheck the necessary boxes after selecting Notifications.
- Set your content preferences: To the left of your profile photo, in the top right-hand corner of your home screen, click the symbol. Toggle the option to exclude adult content. By heading to Blocked Tags, you can add tags that you don't want to see in your feed. Save the file.
Maintain teen safety on Wattpad.
Participate in your children's Wattpad activities. If they know you're interested in the issues that are important to them, they'll start conversing with you about their internet habits.
Establishing a family agreement or set of ground rules for using social media is a smart idea. It's an excellent way for parents and children to learn how to be responsible, aware, and safe online together. Here are a few ideas:
- Inform them to keep private information such as their full name, address, phone number, email address, and so on protected. private
- Allow them access to your account so you can monitor their activities.
- Show them how to report any inappropriate content in accordance with Wattpad's policies. Tell them not to respond directly if they receive hateful messages.
- Talk to them about proper language and behavior when chatting online. They should not behave or speak in ways that they would not in person.
- Make certain they are aware of the rules.
