Snapchat is all about exchanging pictures and short videos that vanish after a few seconds. Snapchat is primarily used by children and young people as a messenger, but it also has many other functions. It is critical for parents to be aware of these functions, to discuss the risks with their children, and to establish ground rules.
Risks privacy
Snapchat has a unique feature in that sent recordings (“snaps”) are only visible for seconds or hours, depending on the setting. Young users should be aware that there are still options for saving snapshots. Recipients, for example, can take a screenshot of the snap. The author will be notified in this case. You can, however, bypass this message with a little more technical knowledge, for example, by photographing the received image with a second device. As a result, teenagers no longer have control over who sees their recordings or where they can be found.
Filters, stickers, and the snap map all tempt young people to reveal too much personal information about themselves, such as private photos or their location.
Snapchat's data is stored on servers in the United States, where data protection laws differ from those in Germany. Furthermore, the app has previously had to deal with security flaws that allowed user data to leak onto the Internet.
Many services and functions from other providers, such as small games that can be played in chats, are now integrated into Snapchat. Additional usage data may be collected and stored by these offers.
Minors' protection
Snapchat's current version is approved for users aged 13 and up, but this is not reliably checked when registering. Snapchat is also popular among teenagers. Some security settings are activated by default for minors, and certain functions are blocked – provided, of course, that the correct date of birth was entered when registering. Teens, for example, are not permitted to have public Snapchat profiles.Nowadays, the incidents of Snapchat hacking are increasing.Snapchat's security is a must to prevent this.
Social compulsion
The reward system via friendship emojis, in particular, can increase social pressure on young people. A grinning smiley next to a contact, for example, indicates that this friend has sent the user a disproportionate number of snaps but has yet to receive a response. According to the Snapchat support page, “You're this person's best friend, but they're not your best friend.” Such comparisons can have a significant impact on young users' social fabric and, as a result, influence young people's self-confidence and self-perception if the value of a friendship is defined by a smiley or the number of “snap streaks,” a flame emoji next to the chat.
Advertising
Advertising messages and commercial content serve many purposes on Snapchat: many filters and lenses are sponsored by companies, the clothing of the Bitmoji (personalize avatars on Snapchat) is sourced in part from real fashion collections, and creators, like on other social networks and on the Discover page, advertise products. There are stories, on the other hand, that are interspersed with advertising or that have been editorially produced by companies themselves. The advertising content cannot be explicitly hidden or disabled.
Tips for a safe setup
Check and install the app together
It is best if parents and their children agree to check out apps like Snapchat together before registering or downloading. The app's terms and conditions and data protection regulations specify what data it accesses and how it uses it. Snapchat, for example, requires account and profile data, contacts, location, photos, camera, microphone, and device ID.
It is recommended that parents set up apps to be filtered from the app store for children under the age of 12. This is applicable to both Android and iOS devices. According to its own terms and conditions, the Snapchat app is intended for people aged 13 and up, and it is available in the iOS and Android app stores for people aged 12 and up. However, the age information in stores only partially reflects the functions and risks. After installing the app, parents and children can explore Snapchat together and create a secure profile. Choosing a usage name that does not reveal too much personal information is part of this. It is also critical to enter the child's correct birthdate.
Use settings
Parents can agree with their child that they will protect their privacy by using the current settings. For example, users under the age of 18 can decide that others cannot find them using their cell phone number, that only “My friends” can send them snaps, and that only they can see their stories - this setting is defined by the Snapchat application. Geofilters should also be avoided because Snapchat can use these snaps for public stories. Young people should turn off location determination on their devices and avoid using the Snap Map function.
Notifications about new stories from friends or new filters and lenses, for example, can be turned off very specifically in the settings. Most of them should be turned off here so that children are not constantly drawn back to the app when using their smartphone for fear of missing something.
With the “Memories” function, recordings are password-protected under “My Eyes Only.” This is advised to keep images safe from prying eyes.
Some Snapchat features are subject to additional fees: Certain filters can be purchased in-app, and Snaps can be viewed again (Replay). Furthermore, real money can be exchanged for virtual currency to purchase gifts for creators. Additionally, the premium version “Snapchat+” can be subscribed to directly from the app. As a result, it is preferable for parents to make in-app purchases directly on the device.
Set rules for using Snapchat
AVOIDING CONTACT RISKS
It is important that children and young people only send contact requests to people they know personally – and only accept requests from acquaintances.
DISCUSS RULES OF CONDUCT
Parents can talk to their child about the fact that the rules of good cooperation must also apply to Snapchat—even if chat messages and pictures disappear after viewing. So, no insults should be sent lightly.
THINK BEFORE POSTING AND SENDING
In general, it is significant to think carefully about who children and young people are sending which content. Even if sent Snaps disappear after a few seconds and Stories after 24 hours, recipients can easily take screenshots, upload them to their device, publish them and misuse them. Young people are not allowed to send recordings that could be unpleasant or even harmful afterwards. In addition, adolescents should not feel pressured to publish pictures that are as exciting or revealing as possible just to get a good response.
Block and report users
Not only selfies but also erotic content can be exchanged via Snapchat, which is known as sexting . If children are confronted with this, the sender should be blocked by clicking on the user name and selecting “Block contact”.
It is also possible to report spam (“Report Spam”) or harassment (“Report a Safety or Abuse Issue”) via “Support” and “Safety and Abuse”. Criminal law relevant content such as hate speech or illegal pornography must be shown to the parents and reported to reporting offices such as jugendschutz.net via screenshot.
Set up parental control
Similar to the “accompanied mode” on TikTok or the “parental supervision” on Instagram, Snapchat also offers parents a way to accompany their child's app usage through a technical tool: The “Family Center” tool allows them to see who they are with offspring is friends in the app and has been in contact within the last week - without being able to view the chats or pictures. If there are profiles that violate the guidelines or are suspicious, parents can use the tool to report them. The prerequisite is that parents have their Snapchat account.
However, with the “Family Center” function, it is not possible to restrict individual functions within the app. Despite parental control, young people can interact with the short video format of Snapchat (“Spotlight”), independently release new friends and watch commercial content in the “Discover” area. For this reason, discussions about Snapchat use that explain the risks and opportunities are better than this accompanying measure.
Remain in conversation
An important rule of using Snapchat should be that kids can go to their parents if something scares, upsets, or upsets them. Especially in the “Discover” tab or in the TikTok-like “Spotlights” it can happen that you are confronted with content that is not age-appropriate, even if Snapchat pre-filters and checks the videos according to their statements. It is also worth empowering children to deal well with advertising content to reduce ownership desires.
Parents can show interest and ask what excites their child most about Snapchat and how they use the app, especially with the variety of features. This creates a relationship of trust, in which young snappers turn to their parents when something has gone wrong—ideally without fear of trouble. In addition, parents can keep an eye on critical developments and encourage their child to question things, for example in relation to the beauty filters.