A popular social media messaging app, that allows you to send photos, videos, and messages to your contacts. The fun thing about Snapchat is it´s 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.
To stay safe, it is always best not to share you geolocation online, on any platform. Make sure only 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.
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 is 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.
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. 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.
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.
When it comes to apps kids use on the 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 come 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.
With ESET Parental Control for Android
TRY FREE FOR 30 DAYSIt was 2015 when she first came across the Twitch streaming platform. Katerina Tuzarova aka OdetteD (29) had been playing computer games since childhood, and her hobby later turned into a part-time job that would provide her with extra income during her university studies. She became one of the top 10 female players of Age of Empires 2, a popular real-time strategy game. Here’s more about her experience.
Whenever you happen to be reading this sentence, there are at that moment perhaps millions of live viewers on Twitch, watching one of the tens of thousands live channels. Do your kids spend time on the world’s most popular content streaming platform? Here’s a list of things you should know about the service, prepared in cooperation with Katerina Tuzarova, aka OdetteD, a former Twitch streamer.
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.
