How to create a Twitter account

Getting started

In our demonstration, we are going to create a Twitter account using a mobile device. Twitter might look a little different, depending on your device, but the steps will be the same.

The process of creating a Twitter account on a desktop or laptop computer is similar, so you should still be able to follow along.

Downloading the Twitter app

The Twitter app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store if you’re using an Android device, or the App store if you're using an Apple device.

Simply type Twitter into the Search field and select the official Twitter app from the search results.

Remember, you should always check the app’s developer, its reviews and any feedback other people have on an app before downloading it to your device.

Accessing Twitter from a desktop or laptop computer

To access Twitter from a desktop or laptop computer, simply click into the address bar in your web browser and type https://twitter.com and then press the Enter key on your keyboard.

Creating your account

Once the Twitter app has downloaded to your mobile device, find it on your Home screen and tap it to open it.

You will be prompted to start creating your account by entering the following information:

• Name
• Email address or phone number
• Date of birth

Once you’ve entered your details, tap Next.

eSafety Tip

You don’t necessarily have to enter your actual date of birth or full name into these fields if you’re not comfortable sharing this information. For example, you can simply add your first name and a made-up date of birth when registering for a Twitter account.

Customising your experience

Once you’ve entered your details, Twitter will offer to customise your experience by allowing the app to track your internet search history.

This isn’t required to sign up to Twitter, so we recommend turning this option off by tapping the switch or selecting No. You can always change this in your account Settings menu if you want Twitter to access your search history in the future.

Once you’ve made your selection, tap Next.

Registering your account

To complete your account registration, tap Create account if you’re using an Apple device, and Sign up if you’re using an Android device.

Twitter will then send a unique code to your nominated email address or phone number. Check this code and then enter it into the field on the screen.

Once you’ve entered the code, tap Next.

Creating a password for your Twitter account

You’ll need to create a strong password to keep your Twitter account secure. Choose a password that is easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess. Strong passwords also include:

• Upper and lower-case letters
• Numbers
• Symbols or punctuation.

Once you’ve entered a password, tap Next.

Adding a profile photo

Your Twitter account has now been created and you’re ready to start customising it. Twitter allows you to skip all of the steps from this point, but it’s a good idea to customise your new profile so that you see content you’re interested in.

You can start by adding profile photo. You can select a photo that’s already saved to your device or you can use the device’s camera to take a new one. The photo doesn’t even need to be of you, it can be of anything you feel represents your personality.

eSafety Tip

If you use the camera, you’ll be prompted to give Twitter access to your camera and microphone on your device. This is so that the photo can be shared with Twitter, so it’s a reasonable request. You can always change this access in Settings and privacy later, once you’ve saved your new profile photo to the app.

Let Twitter know about your interests

Twitter will ask you to let them know about the genres, hobbies or categories that interest you. This helps Twitter tailor the content and users it recommends to you.

Scroll through the list of categories and tap on those which interest you, or use the Search field to type in specific categories.

Find people to follow

Based on the areas of interest that you’ve told Twitter about, you’ll be presented with a curated list of Twitter users whom you can choose to Follow.

To explore the list of recommended Twitter users, tap Find people to follow.

Following people you already know

The Find friends section at the top of the screen allows you to give Twitter access to the Contacts list on your device. If you wish to give Twitter access, tap Get started and then tap Sync contacts.

eSafety Tip

It’s not necessary to provide Twitter with access to your Contacts list. If you’re uncomfortable doing this, simply skip this step and locate people to follow based on their Twitter username.

Congratulations!

This is the end of the How to create a Twitter account activity. You should now know how set up your own Twitter account and follow users who interest you.

It’s now time to learn how you can protect your personal information, in the Controlling your Twitter privacy settings activity.