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A Parent Asks: My pre-teen would like to sign up for a Snapchat account because "all of her friends are on it." I read that Snapchat wasn't a very safe app but she says none of her friends use Facebook so she is always in the dark. Is it safe to sign her up?
A Parent Asks: My pre-teen would like to sign up for a Snapchat account because "all of her friends are on it." I read that Snapchat wasn't a very safe app but she says none of her friends use Facebook so she is always in the dark. Is it safe to sign her up?
Advocates Answers: Many parents can relate to the struggle of monitoring their teen’s social media use! Just when it seems like we have a handle on the latest trend a new social media site appears that must be scrutinized by parents. Good for you for being in the loop with what social media your daughter is using and wants to use!
For those unfamiliar with Snapchat, it’s a mobile app that allows users to send videos and pictures that self destruct after a few seconds. Images are sent to a controlled list of users who can only view the image for between 1-10 seconds before it disappears. The appeal of the app is that, unlike other social media platforms such as Facebook, there is no long term photo history of a person. The concern is that there are ways to get around the ‘self-destruct’ function, such as taking a screen shot of the image or using a camera to take a picture of the image. Snapchat tries to notify the person sending the picture if it determines that the image has been captured, but this is not guaranteed. There has also been some criticism that images posted to Snapchat servers could be recovered using various software and recently the company came under scrutiny for allegedly saving photos, which it denies.
Other concerns include Snapchat being used for sexting and bullying, which is more difficult to monitor because the images disappear in a matter of seconds. This creates a challenge for parents because they cannot scan through their child’s account to see what images are being sent and received. Caroline Knorr for Common Sense Media also points out that "Anything that reduces the time between thought and action is a risk for kids, whose ability to think through the consequences of their actions isn't fully developed.” In other words, your child might feel there are fewer consequences when posting Snapchat images because the image will delete in 10 seconds; thus the temptation to post inappropriate pictures on Snapchat may be stronger than sites that store images long term, such as Facebook.
If your daughter is over 13 (the minimum age requirement for Snapchat) think about whether or not she is ready for the responsibility of this particular social media platform: Is she generally responsible? Do you trust that she can make safe decisions about what images to share? Does she have a good track record on Facebook or other social media sites? If you think she is ready, read through Snapchat’s guide for parents with your daughter and make sure she understands not only the etiquette that should accompany Snapchat use but also how to use it safely. You may also want to consider having your daughter sign a contract, which clearly outlines your rules and expectations when using social media. For an example check out this “Media Time Family Pledge.”
The best thing you can do is to talk with your teen about Snapchat, Instagram and other photo-sharing apps. Don’t assume the worst but also keep in mind that teens do not have the common sense skills of an adult and will need clear guidelines in order to be safe. Chances are your teen already knows what not to do on social media, but it never hurts to calmly impart a little adult wisdom.
For a list of other social media apps click here.
