Should Parents Be Concerned About Ephemeral Messaging Apps like Snapchat
Written by Frank Samuelson, Posted on , in Section Teens & Tweens
Snapchat is a program where users can send pictures to each other in an ephemeral way (meaning that the pictures delete themselves after 10 seconds). This is meant to be a fun and innocent practice, but more and more, it's been found that teenagers have been sexting (sending texts of a sexual nature) one another using Snapchat. Because of the nature of this program, this kind of behavior is viewed by some as acceptable.
Ephemeral Messaging Apps and Teenagers
Sexuality is something that is much more front and center for troubled teens these days. Teenagers are experimenting with sexual activity at an earlier and earlier age, and apps like Snapchat can potentially encourage such behavior. Ultimately, these apps aren't to blame for this kind of behavior. Teenagers who take part in these kinds of behaviors need to know that this can lead to worse problems down the road. Adolescence can be a confusing time, and emotional immaturity combined with sexual compulsivity can make for some negative habits.
Not only does this encourage sexual behavior in teenagers, but there are ways to circumvent the ephemeral qualities of apps like Snapchat. Even though pictures delete themselves after 10 seconds, they can still be saved if the recipient of the message is savvy enough. Embarrassing or sexual pictures sent through Snapchat can be saved and then distributed. This can lead to even worse problems down the road. Overall, parents need to be aware of what their students are doing online. Sexual behavior early on can lead to many problems, and being aware of what your student is doing online is huge in preventing that.
