If you have been heeding my advice you have done your best to keep your kids away from Snapchat. Instagram has launched yet another update and this one includes dissapearing pictures and videos in their direct messenger and the beginnings of their soon to be released live video feature. What this means is, if your kids have Instagram, they now basically have Snapchat.
Private, disappearing messages were what launched Snapchat to popularity in 2011 and they only added their public “Stories” feature in 2013. These features have all been something that have caused parents concern from time to time. One of the main reasons is the false sense of anonymity that comes with a picture that will vanish after a few seconds or hours. It’s like since she can’t see it in the app anymore, your daughter will think it’s just gone. Thinking it’s so temporary causes some teens to feel like they can just send whatever they want, no matter how incriminating or self exposing. This is obviously not true. With just the simultaneous snap of a couple of buttons on your phone you can screenshot a picture and it becomes a permanent part of your library. The story has played out over and over again and many young men and women have been shamed because they thought they were sending a temporary private message and the recipient took advantage of it.
What should parents know?
You want to protect your young child from any social media that can make them feel like they are sharing privately. It’s important to remember that all social media is set to be as public as possible by default. This means that until you change settings otherwise, you will be posting to anyone who ever uses that same social media service and they can share it with whoever they’d like. If your kids are too young for the terms and agreements of the app (13 for both Instagram and Snapchat, while the latter doesn’t ask when you sign up.) you shouldn’t let them use that service. Also note that the ios app store lists social media apps at a 17+ age level. The reason is that User Generated Content is the main function of the app and they can’t guarantee that everything posted will be age appropriate.
Uninstal instagram if you fall into one of these two categories: First, you don’t want your kids sharing private photos and videos without you being able to check in on them later. Secondly if you have a child who is too young to see content that can be posted by absolutely anyone on the internet at any given time.
If you don’t fall into either of these categories then, by all means, let your kids share away. As long as you’re checking in on what they are sharing a few times a month.