Oh Snapchat. I need some Snapchat support right now. My son begs me on a weekly basis to allow him to get Snapchat. I have yet to get Snapchat and pretty much never will. When I saw the ridiculous pictures that Snapchat makes of adults, it was game over.
Questions I have about a 12-year-old getting Snapchat
- Is there any good to it?
- How long do conversations last? Can I access them?
- What are the negative ways kids are using Snapchat?
- What else can you tell me about this sinister app?
I’m leaning on the side of not letting him get the app but if you guys can persuade me there is more good than harm, I’m willing to listen. Also if anyone works on the Snapchat support team, please feel free to answer!
It’s a fun app when used appropriately. I think that at age 12, it is still considered harmless, but I’m not gonna lie, I have used it in the past to send nudes to my Fella since they only last a few seconds and then disappear, ensuring they will not stay stored anywhere. But like I said, I don’t think a 12 year old will be… it just occurred to me that females his age might not have the same use for it. Man, this is tough.
Do you see where Im going with this? Or what if there is bullying happening? I hate snapchat!
I guess it depends on your parenting style. If you need to have more control over what they do/see/hear, then allowing snapchat would be a big mistake, but if you trust your son(s), then I think it’s can be a very entertaining app for them. It’s just really hard to monitor their usage which means the unknown is huge.
I’m honestly not the best to listen to when it comes to parenting advice seeing as I don’t have kids of my own, however… I am a godmother to my 10 year old nephew and he’s pretty much the only kid in my life that counts. Personally, I’m against kids having access to social media until they’re like, 15 or older. Too many horror stories of bullying, peer pressure and crotch pics, ya know?
I downloaded snapchat for a few months and then deleted it cause it got boring. But anyone can add you, anyone can message you. I don’t remember what the settings were like, but I’m sure you can block unfriendlies. I think the messages were only about 30 seconds long, but not totally sure. I don’t think they have parental monitoring features, either. Good luck, mama.
Thank you Jeni! All the more reason NOT to let him get it. I have yet to hear a good argument.
I think the best part about snapchat is that you get to take silly pictures with the filters. Other than that, I have no idea how it works. I’ve never used it haha.
It’s dumb, all the way around.
Yup pretty much lol
The thing you need to remember about snap chat is that conversations or pictures can disappear, but you can take a screen shot and circulate any nude penis pics or anything else. My supervisor has a 13 year old son in 8th grade and they called a middle school meeting because a boy had snap chatted his penis and then it got sent all over the school and the principal gave the adults an aha moment! Parents you are responsible for your children receiving and sending nude pics because it is your cell phone contract with the carrier and you can be sued. My supervisor was like “What?” That’s my biggest fear with any social media accounts is children getting and sending nude pics. Even if they are innocent and not taking the photos someone could send them to him.
I DO NOT envy you having a pre-teen in this day and age. Seriously. I am sure the pressure to be all over social media for teens is HUGE. However, I am not a fan of young children, pre-teens, and even young teens having access to social media so young. I know that there are kids out there using it for negative and shady reasons, so it will be next to impossible to protect him from that. I also see the value in not keeping your kid in a bubble. SO tough. If I had to vote, I’d say no…
Heats the real purpose of your kids phone. General social interaction happens but mainly its to keep him safe. Make him able to access you and vice versa. Is he the 12 year old who can grasp forever? Is he the 12 year old who knows what college he wants to go to and what his dental practice will be called, or does he spend his lunch hour looking up naughty tribal photos in national geographic and or reading embarrassing bits of Judy bloom novels? Most 12 year Olds can’t plan for the weekend let alone life ahead. Until your kid hits that point, no go. And its not just for him. Its also to help him be the gentle guy who talks and asks questions and texts a fun gift, who doesn’t bug a girl or guy to just snapchat ‘it’ (whatever body part people are into now) to him because it will disappear? If he doesn’t have snapchat, he doesn’t have the ability to be the bully or the pressuring douche. He has to be softer. To be the guy who actually connects.
Help him develop a good byline. Why is snapchat not awesome? “If I want to bash my mom I will be man enough for her to be able to find it in my messages.” “snapchat is for people who dont believe what they say is worth standing behind permanently” ergo: Donald trump loves snapchat.
The only reason I have Snapchat on my phone is because my 4 year old loves looking at the filters on himself (he used it on my sister’s phone and was hooked). Not sure how I’d feel about your situation.
Okay, I’m gonna go cling to my son while he’s still totally under my thumb and thinks I’m his best friend.
Yes, cling!!! But when he gets his own cell phone, plan on reading all his texts to keep him in check. I want him little again!!
Snapchat is 95% of how my teens talk to me. LOL
It really depends on your kid. They need to truly understand that the pics do NOT disappear automatically – anyone can take a screenshot. But it IS a lot of fun. I used it to face-swap the hubs and my cat (it’s at the bottom of this post): https://carrotsinmycarryon.com/2017/04/02/april-fools-jokers-on-the-job/
Exactly and I already have to monitor Instagram and texts. I don’t need 3 platforms to patrol.