Something about cracking, sharing, and then quickly getting away from the small moments of life has a huge appeal to kids. And for the most part, they use Snapchat for that. But the app offers a lot more stuff, including games, news and entertainment, quizzes, and even series from major pop culture brands. If you have tweens or teens, you`re familiar with Snapchat. And if you can`t figure out how it works, you`re like many parents. As one of the most popular social media apps, Snapchat offers kids and teens what they really want: an easy way to share everyday moments while making them awesome. And unlike Facebook and Twitter, which record and broadcast everything you do, Snapchat uses messages that are supposed to disappear (learn more about how they don`t). Like many social media apps, Snapchat is a mixed bag, so it`s a good idea to understand how it works, how your kids use it, and how much time they spend on it so you can make sure their experiences are positive. The most important thing you need to do when thinking about privacy in social media apps is to start a collaborative dialogue with your child.

Try to understand exactly how the platform is used. Decide with your child what is inappropriate content and what is acceptable. ensure they understand the consequences of inappropriate content and cyberbullying; And most importantly, be there for them if they have problems online. Snapchat`s selling point is to share videos and photos with the user`s followers, known as friends. Parents need to pay attention to the type of content their child posts and who can see what they post. Nowadays, kids have their own personal phone at an early age and can easily hide from their parents the apps they use and the content they watch. Learn how what you post can interfere with the approval process and help it. WhatsApp has just announced a new age limit of 16 for users based in Europe. With the upcoming changes to data protection rules in the EU, this blog looks at what age restrictions apply to the most popular social media services, why they exist, and what our tips are for parents and teens.

What is Discover? Discover offers content created by celebrities, news and entertainment channels, and other users. You can subscribe to specific Discover sources to receive their feeds. While Discover offers legitimate news from publishers such as The New York Times and Vice Media, the offers can be promotional and are often mature or strange (e.g., people suffering from extreme plastic surgery or rare diseases). However, if your child signed up with their correct date of birth, they will miss the alcohol ads and other adult content that Snapchat filters for underage users. Discover stories often include promos that encourage kids to «swipe up» to learn more (which usually leads to ads) or take a quiz (which is usually a marketing tool). This section ranges from harmless to shocking, so it`s good to look around and get an idea of what your kids are seeing. Sometimes people may post content that is harmful, nasty, or disturbing to your child. Whether intentionally or not, it can upset your child and scare them via social media.

When this happens, converse with them and allow them to take control of what they see and communicate with in the app in the following ways: Also, your child may receive private messages or inappropriate content from strangers pretending to be someone they are not. That`s why it`s a good idea to talk to your child about Snapchat safety, how to use the app, and let you know if they`re experiencing anything distracting whatsoever. Peter Wanless, executive director of NSPCC, said: «We have always seen social media sites that display violent, abusive or illegal content unchecked on their websites, and in the worst cases, children have died after being attacked by predators or watching self-harm films online.» If you want to create a profile with your child online, chat as a family and make that decision together – explain why they want the account and make sure everyone in the family who uses social media knows what tools are available to help them stay safe. You may want to use our family agreement to help you with this. Snapchat`s gaming feature «Snap Games» offers various competitive and non-competitive games that you can play with friends. It also has a voice and chat feature where you can send text or via live audio. Users can also earn in-game rewards, such as coins or items, by watching an ad, but Snapchat said that «video rewards may not be available to all Snapchatters» – but don`t specify the criteria you need to meet. With Snap Maps, Snapchat friends can see where your child is. The locations are quite accurate and even reveal the street you are in. If inappropriate content lands on your child on Snapchat, be sure to report it safety@snapchat.com. The minimum age for Snapchat users is 13 years old.

However, it is incredibly easy for a child to bypass the Snapchat age limit by using a fake date of birth. Snapchat doesn`t have the means to verify their identity or age, so tricking the app is a no-brainer. After that, it gets a bit confusing. On Snapchat, photos — not text — usually start communication. To start a conversation, tap the camera`s large circle and take a snapshot. There are all sorts of photo editing tools (you`ll have to experiment to find out what they do) as well as filters to decorate your images. Once you`ve customized your Snap, you can send it to anyone in your friends list, add it to your story (a recording of the day your friends can see for 24 hours), and add it to the Snap card (which displays your photo on a map of your location that anyone can see on Snapchat). 7 Reasons Why We Need to Think Differently About Cyberbullying Scroll down until you hear the words «Who can…» Then you will see the different options below. The photo and video messaging app requires users to be at least 13 years old to use their app. It is available for both Android and iOS users and is free to download. Snapchat Safety Center Snapchat Community Guidelines Is Snapchat Safe for Tweens and Teens? Most kids use Snapchat to have fun and keep in touch with their friends – end of story. Yes, there is adult content out there, but it`s suitable for most teens ages 16 and older.

However, there are three main areas of risk: But users and those who have children on the platform should be aware that people have fallen victim to scams and sexual predators on the platform and that it makes sense to take precautions to protect themselves.