The best defense is to discuss the risks with your child and try to agree on what you both think is an acceptable way to use it. There is no way to turn off this feature and many of the articles are tabloid in nature with adult content. The ‘Discover’ section allows users to flick through small snippets of news stories and trending articles that are not always appropriate for young users. Even though images disappear from the Snapchat app, it doesn’t necessarily mean that screen grabs weren’t taken which could be shared on other social media platforms. Research has shown that sexting can be very upsetting emotionally, especially if the messages go astray, ending up in the wrong hands. The temporary nature of Snapchat messages could lead some teens to get into hot water for sending ‘sexts’ or sexually suggestive images and text messages.
This feature could dissuade teens and children from even attempting to screen capture an offensive message but it is still possible to do so. If a user does manage to make a screen capture, the sender of the image is notified. In the case of Snapchat, screen captures can be difficult to perform as the Snapchat app requires the user to keep one finger on the screen (on certain devices) to view the image. We generally advise young people to take a screen capture of posts or texts they deem offensive or inappropriate. The main selling point to young people of this app, is the way images self-destruct and this has led parents groups and online communities to flag the potential for cyberbullying and sexting type activity.
The majority of Snapchats are sent in a frivolous and fun manner with the most common topics for Snapchat messages being to document meals about to be eaten and funny faces to friends. Snapchat is popular as messages sent disappear within seconds What Are the Risks?