ANIMALIA – Influencers
Do influencers always have good influence on children? Find out in the new episode of "Animalia", educational, interactive, animated series about child safety on the internet.
If you´ve ever seen your kid’s phone, you might have noticed an icon of a white ghost on a yellow background. This is Snapchat. A popular social media messaging app, that allows you to send photos, videos, and messages to your contacts. The fun thing about Snapchat is its disappearing message feature. Once the message or photo is opened, the receiver cannot access it anymore. So, it´s a one-time view-only messaging system.
Snapchat is popular among kids and teenagers since there are many ways to gamify the platform and it is fun to use.
Here are 5 things to talk to your kids about to keep them safe on Snapchat:
- Disable location settings
To stay safe, it is always best not to share your geolocation online, on any platform. Make sure only the people you chose can see your kid’s location. There is an option to choose just a close group of friends who can view it. It is even possible to turn on Ghost Mode if you want the location to not be shared at all.
- Remember screenshots
The fact that the photos are deleted after opening creates a false sense of safety. In reality, the people your kids send the photo or message to are able to screenshot them. Make sure whatever your kids are sending to their friends is within the realm of reason and cannot be used against them (for cyberbullying, blackmail, etc.) in any way.
- Blocking people is okay
Not accepting people´s requests to connect and blocking people is completely normal and a valid thing to do. Your kid should only accept requests from people they know in real life, to prevent being targeted by predators. The same goes for blocking users. If your kid is contacted by someone you don´t know, you have the option to block them, so they are prevented from contacting your kid again. This feature might even be used for other kids who are, for example, trying to cyberbully your kid.
- Keep personal information close to the heart
Kids tend to overshare online; it is therefore very important to talk to them about a need for a certain level of anonymity online. Never share where they go to school, where they live, how old they are and so on.
- Talk to your kids
When it comes to apps kids use daily, it is important to try to be a part of their world. In this case, Snapchat Family Center is a great way to do so. It gives you an opportunity to interact with your kids on a whole new level. Make sure you are understanding and supportive of your kids in everything, especially when it comes to the crazy online world we live in. Be the voice to guide them through the jungle of the digital world and create a safer space for them online.