Keeping your kids safe on the Internet is no easy task, especially with apps and sites like Snapchat and Ask.fm that seem to encourage dangerous behavior, especially when it comes to teens online. The newest app on your “need to know about” list? Snap Save, an iPhone app that lets users save Snapchats without letting the Snapchat sender know.
Here’s the deal. Snapchat has become popular (and made it to the top of our you-know-what list) because it allows for real-time picture chatting and uses time-sensitive technology so that users can choose how long they want a Snapchat to last before it self-destructs. And to our way of thinking, that’s a devious way to encourage teen sexting and even bullying, huge problems with kids today.
Add Snap Save to the mix, and things get even worse. Once you download the app and log into your Snapchat account, you’ll see a list of the snaps you’ve previously received. You can’t reopen those, but any new snaps will be stored in Snap Save so you can view them whenever you want. And what’s worse? Users won’t be notified like they are if someone takes a screenshot of a snap shared via SnapChat, so you’d have no idea if your supposedly time-sensitive snap actually destructs or is stored forever on another digital device.
Super neat, isn’t it? When we hear of apps like this, we just want to ask the creators what the heck they’re thinking. How is this in any way a good idea? And in the case of Snap Save, the creators don’t only think they’re on to something—they’re also planning to make a tidy profit, given the app’s $2.99 price tag.
The sad truth is that apps and sites like Snap Save, Snapchat and Ask.fm aren’t going to go away—in fact, they’ll probably only multiply. And that’s why educating your kids about safe online behavior is so, so important. We can’t build a wall around our children and keep them from using digital devices and the Internet—so the next best thing is keeping a reasonable eye on what they’re doing and teaching them the power and responsibility that comes with being active online.
There’s speculation as to whether the creators of SnapChat will go after Snap Save, so we’ll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, what are your thoughts about apps like these? And how do you talk to your kids about online safety?
Image: sindesign via Compfight cc
Online Trouble for Teens: Why You Need To Know About Snap Save is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency
