Scarlett Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Tell me about it. Is there a legitimate use for it for teens or anyone? I found out my ss13 has an account and I want to be informed before I discuss it with my dh or my ss13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 I use it with my kids, but they're all adults. I really enjoy getting a pic of what my kids are doing- so I see it for ten seconds and then it's gone. Not filling up my phone with pics of goofy stuff. I really, really like it because I live so far away from my grandchildren and it's a way to see stuff they do daily. My niece lives in NYC- she and her dh are church planters and it's been fun seeing what she's up to. But for a 13 year old- I might be more wary. It's SUPER easy to save a pic sent. I'm 53 and I can do it, so you know it's easy. So kids really need to know that pics they send are not necessarily GONE. In addition to warning him that sending anything revealing is totally off limits, I'd also warn him not to send anything that he'd be embarrassed to have shown in public. For instance, if he sends a snapchat of a cute girl captioned 'she's hot' or something, he risks having the friend save it and show it to the girl. Or think about how embarrassing it would be if he was more explicit than 'she's hot' and wrote 'nice bOOks!' He doesn't want that shown on Facebook, and certainly the girl doesn't either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 I use it with my kids, but they're all adults. I really enjoy getting a pic of what my kids are doing- so I see it for ten seconds and then it's gone. Not filling up my phone with pics of goofy stuff. I really, really like it because I live so far away from my grandchildren and it's a way to see stuff they do daily. My niece lives in NYC- she and her dh are church planters and it's been fun seeing what she's up to. But for a 13 year old- I might be more wary. It's SUPER easy to save a pic sent. I'm 53 and I can do it, so you know it's easy. So kids really need to know that pics they send are not necessarily GONE. In addition to warning him that sending anything revealing is totally off limits, I'd also warn him not to send anything that he'd be embarrassed to have shown in public. For instance, if he sends a snapchat of a cute girl captioned 'she's hot' or something, he risks having the friend save it and show it to the girl. Or think about how embarrassing it would be if he was more explicit than 'she's hot' and wrote 'nice bOOks!' He doesn't want that shown on Facebook, and certainly the girl doesn't either! Pretty much what I thought. :( His mom and step dad and step siblings all use it....he lives with his mom so we have limited control over what he does. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Well, is he mostly a good kid or are there concerns? Dd has had some snapchats from friends at college- stuff like frat party shots and all. Dd just shakes her head. She doesn't drink, and though she does attend some parties, she has a method- go with a girlfriend who is also willing to leave no later than 9 PM, and earlier if either of them feel the need to leave. (At her school, things don't get rowdy until after 9 or 10) So she does get a lot of snapchats from friends who stayed at the party. Oh, the things they send. Crazy girls. But if your ss is a good kid, you might not have anything to worry about. If he doesn't send questionable snapchats and doesn't share ones sent to him, the main concern left is whether he receives inappropriate snapchats. 13 year olds are quite varied- he might be more interested in seeing snapchats of skateboarding adventures than scantily clad girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 Well, is he mostly a good kid or are there concerns? Dd has had some snapchats from friends at college- stuff like frat party shots and all. Dd just shakes her head. She doesn't drink, and though she does attend some parties, she has a method- go with a girlfriend who is also willing to leave no later than 9 PM, and earlier if either of them feel the need to leave. (At her school, things don't get rowdy until after 9 or 10) So she does get a lot of snapchats from friends who stayed at the party. Oh, the things they send. Crazy girls. But if your ss is a good kid, you might not have anything to worry about. If he doesn't send questionable snapchats and doesn't share ones sent to him, the main concern left is whether he receives inappropriate snapchats. 13 year olds are quite varied- he might be more interested in seeing snapchats of skateboarding adventures than scantily clad girls. I don't think there is anyway to know this about any kid. They are all capable of making bad choices. He seems sweet and all....but I am not naive enough to believe he is above doing something wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 My ds uses it. I hate it. We have had numerous discussions and shown examples of how not to use it to send anything embarrassing. That there is nothing to stop someone from using another device to take a pic of your snap chat so you don't know they did it. And how you have more privacy protection via text then using snap chat. Conversations I never thought I would have with my children-Don't send pics of your business via text, snap chat, facebook, instagram. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Info from ds 18. Snapchat is one word, ;) haha . Pictures sent are deleted unless a screen shot is taken of the picture. This is easy to do. You can see the contact list on the phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Yeah, no kid is perfect. I want kids to have to make choices and learn to use their judgement. I made some bad choices as a teen but I survived. I wanted my kids to learn the consequences of their goofy choices - hopefully as early teens. And I do know my kids made some bad choices but they used those lessons to mature. Now, whether snapchat is a benign way to learn from bad choices is the question. We can't keep teens away from everything that *might* lead to bad choices. Well, I guess we could isolate them and do just that. But that's probably not the most healthy way to raise a teen. For a responsible teen, snapchat can be great fun. For a wild child, it can be awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 My ds uses it. I hate it. We have had numerous discussions and shown examples of how not to use it to send anything embarrassing. That there is nothing to stop someone from using another device to take a pic of your snap chat so you don't know they did it. And how you have more privacy protection via text then using snap chat. Conversations I never thought I would have with my children-Don't send pics of your business via text, snap chat, facebook, instagram. I never heard anyone say that there is more privacy protection via text than there is through snapchat. People take screenshots of texts and post them online. And another person can take a pic of a text on my phone. But it's quite possible I'm missing something you mean- do tell how texts are more private than snapchats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Snapchat has been a really great for my dd to stay in touch with people and let her personality shine through. And people just get so creative with their snapchats, it's so neat. But she's 19. And as liberal of a parent as I have been, I would be somewhat uncomfortable with a 13-year-old using it. OK, with all honesty, I would be very uncomfortable as ME as a 13-year-old using it... You can tell kids until your blue in the face about internet safety and they may or may not listen to you, but you have NO CONTROL over what they are receiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 I think it's good for kids to know ANYTHING can be hacked to be not private. Do not text or send anything via the cloud that you would not want a future employer or your grandmother to see. I don't mean don't have fun online with friends either. I think it's just good to be wary. Don't bad mouth anyone. Don't send pictures you wouldn't want your relatives to see, etc. My 13 year old does have snap chat and I do too. He snap chats with me and a small number of trusted friends and to this point has not had issues. I don't love it, but I'm comfortable with his usage so far and personally know everyone he is snap chatting with. I have a very open but hands on approach to internet usage here. I own all the passwords and electronics that can be revoked at any time. If SS's family is using it, I wouldn't worry about it personally if he is generally a good kid. If he is generally not a good kid, I'm not sure this would be my first concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 I think the biggest issue is a false sense of security, and users should understand it's still possible for the receiver to save the photo before it's deleted. I haven't used it, but a coworker does and it doesn't seem that different from other photo-sharing apps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 I never heard anyone say that there is more privacy protection via text than there is through snapchat. People take screenshots of texts and post them online. And another person can take a pic of a text on my phone. But it's quite possible I'm missing something you mean- do tell how texts are more private than snapchats. I didn't say they were more private. I said you have privacy protection. Under the law you have more privacy rights via a text then snap chat. This has more to do with the government getting a warrant to look at your phone and view your messages. All the same things that can happen with a snap chat can still be done with a text message. No matter what format-don't be stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 I think it's good for kids to know ANYTHING can be hacked to be not private. Do not text or send anything via the cloud that you would not want a future employer or your grandmother to see. I don't mean don't have fun online with friends either. I think it's just good to be wary. Don't bad mouth anyone. Don't send pictures you wouldn't want your relatives to see, etc. My 13 year old does have snap chat and I do too. He snap chats with me and a small number of trusted friends and to this point has not had issues. I don't love it, but I'm comfortable with his usage so far and personally know everyone he is snap chatting with. I have a very open but hands on approach to internet usage here. I own all the passwords and electronics that can be revoked at any time. If SS's family is using it, I wouldn't worry about it personally if he is generally a good kid. If he is generally not a good kid, I'm not sure this would be my first concern. Good point. Might be good to choose our battles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 I think it's good for kids to know ANYTHING can be hacked to be not private. Do not text or send anything via the cloud that you would not want a future employer or your grandmother to see. I don't mean don't have fun online with friends either. I think it's just good to be wary. Don't bad mouth anyone. Don't send pictures you wouldn't want your relatives to see, etc. My 13 year old does have snap chat and I do too. He snap chats with me and a small number of trusted friends and to this point has not had issues. I don't love it, but I'm comfortable with his usage so far and personally know everyone he is snap chatting with. I have a very open but hands on approach to internet usage here. I own all the passwords and electronics that can be revoked at any time. If SS's family is using it, I wouldn't worry about it personally if he is generally a good kid. If he is generally not a good kid, I'm not sure this would be my first concern. Good point. Might be good to choose our battles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livetoread Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 My sense from doing a bit of research is that there is a lot more inappropriate stuff on there than some other social media forms. I read the same thing about kik. Any can be used inappropriately, but some are more known for it and attract it. My 15yo son has Facebook, Instagram, and texting and I'm floored at what strange girls have offered to show him/do to him utterly unsolicited (he's kinda cute). At least meet him first, sheesh! If that's happening on the "safer" sources, I can't imagine what it would be like on the sources with a reputation for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 Info from ds 18. Snapchat is one word, ;) haha . Pictures sent are deleted unless a screen shot is taken of the picture. This is easy to do. You can see the contact list on the phone. Ha ha. At least I didn't call it The Snap chat. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 My sense from doing a bit of research is that there is a lot more inappropriate stuff on there than some other social media forms. I read the same thing about kik. Any can be used inappropriately, but some are more known for it and attract it. My 15yo son has Facebook, Instagram, and texting and I'm floored at what strange girls have offered to show him/do to him utterly unsolicited (he's kinda cute). At least meet him first, sheesh! If that's happening on the "safer" sources, I can't imagine what it would be like on the sources with a reputation for that. This is my take on it too. I don't want to restrict our boys unnecessarily but I can't see a good reason to use Snapchat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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