Unfortunately, it is easy for kids to lie about their age in order to create a profile because there is no age verification process when creating a Snapchat account. Does this mean Snapchat is safe for 13-year-olds? Not necessarily. This means that, under the U.S. Children`s Online Privacy Rule, companies cannot legally collect data from users under the age of 13. Discuss the Snapchat security measures you want them to follow and explain why those measures are important. Tell them what you think is inappropriate to share, see, and talk in the app. 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. 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. 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. With Snap Maps, Snapchat friends can see where your child is. The locations are quite accurate and even reveal the street you are in. 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. You can also regulate what your kids do beyond Snapchat. Check out our guides on how to set up your kid`s devices for added security: 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). 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. Learn how what you post can interfere with the approval process and help it. Other social networks have introduced more extensive parental controls than what`s available at Snapchat`s family center at launch. For example, TikTok allows parents to set screen time controls, enable a “more restricted mode” for younger users, turn off search, set accounts to private, restrict messaging, as well as know who can see the teen`s likes and who can comment on their posts. In addition to parental controls, Instagram also offers support for deadlines set by parents. 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. Although Snapchat is more known as a more younger generation-oriented social platform, you need to be at least a certain age to enjoy the app`s attractive features. Age restriction is also common for almost all social networks.