This is part 3 in our ongoing series of blog posts to raise awareness with the parent community regarding unsafe social networking practices by middle school students. 
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Snapchat is yet another social media application commonly used by our middle school students. The SnapChat app is often described as being ephemeral.  The ephemeral nature of Snapchat is based upon the belief that messages are transitory and therefore they only exist briefly for a one time view. Students hold the assumption that these Snapchat messages will then disappear forever after they are viewed by another Snapchat user. The disappearing content can include text, images and videos. Given how snapchat functions, it has proven to be very difficult social media platform for parents and administrators to monitor.  

If our parent community better understands how Snapchat works, it will hopefully be then easier for you to monitor your student's use and then intervene as needed. Similar to Instagram, the minimum age for snapchat users is 13, which is in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). What follows is a description of the key features of Snapchat.  Parents are also encouraged to review the PDF titled, 'A Parent's Guide to Snapchat'. Additionally, parents can learn more about this mobile app by directly visiting the Snapchat company website.  

​Shapchat has two primary functions that parents should know about: stories and messages.  

Snapchat Stories
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Stories are compilations of 'snaps' in which a user creates a narrative over a 24 hour period. However, 24 hours after posting, the 'snap' content in the story timeline disappears. Users can view a Snapchatter's Story as many times as you'd like before it is no longer available.  The story function of snapchat includes a clock that indicates the amount of time remaining. The outer ring of the circle represents how much time is left in the current Snap. The ring will disappear as you are viewing the Snap, indicating how much time you have left to view it! The inner circle represents how much time is left in the Story. The inner circle will disappear as you are viewing the Snaps in a Story, indicating how much time remains in the Story.  It is important to note that snapchap stories are not private and disappear after 24 hours.

Follow the steps below to view a Snapchatter's Story:

1. Swipe left on the Camera screen to the Stories screen.
2. Scroll down to Recent Updates.
3. Tap a Snapchatter's name to view their Story.
4. When you finish a Story, the next one begins automatically.​

Below is a screenshot of a Snapchat account listing friends. Please note the icon next to each friend name appears like a 24 hours clock. Tapping on the name will view the story, but only if the clock has time remaining.

It is also possible for you to know how many other Snapchat users have viewed a story that was posted from your child's account. Please see the screenshot below and the number next to the eye icon.  
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​Private Snapchat Messages - 'A Chat'

Snapchat also allows users to send text, voice or video messages directly to other users. This is commonly referred to as a chat. Similar to other social media platforms, snapchat users connect with each other when becoming 'friends'. There are a few ways to add other Snapchatters. You can them from your contacts book, by their username, their Snapcode – simply click ‘Add Friends’ on your Profile screen. 

Swipe right on a friend’s name in your Snapchat feed to send a chap. When you leave the Chat screen, messages viewed by both you and your friend will be cleared. Chat messages can be sent to more or more users. Once everyone in the Chat has viewed the message and closed the Chat screen, the message will disappear from Chat. 

Snapchat Safety Concerns

Clearly the most commonly reported concern from middle school students is that another child sent them a mean, abusive, exclusionary, or downright rude message using Snapchat and the difficulty is that the message disappeared. While it is possible for a Shapchap user to take a screen shot of the message before it vanishes, this can be difficult and requires some forethought. Despite the ephemeral nature of Snapchat, there are several steps that parents can take to address inappropriate social networking such as blocking users, reporting abusive snaps, and deleting a snapchat account.

How to Block another Snapchat User:

1. On the home screen, go to 'My Friends' and then located the other Snapchat account that you want blocked.
2. Tap on the profile, select the icon of a gear to block the other user
3. This will block the other user from sending snaps or chats and also not allow access to view your story.

Report Abuse

1. If another Snapchat user continually sends inappropriate messages to your child you can send an email to: [email protected]
2. Also there is an online support section on the snapchat website.

Delete a Snapchat Account

If you decided to delete your child's Snapchat account, go to the delete option on the Snapchat website. Please be aware that you will need the user name and password for the Snapchat account in order to have it deleted. 

You can also delete the account by using the Snapchat app on the phone:

1. Open the Snapchat app, login and tap the Settings icon in the upper right corner.
2. Navigate to Support -> Learning the Basics -> Delete an account.

The following information is provided by Snapchat regarding safety. Staying safe on Snapchat is everyone's responsibility – see below for some helpful tips and resources:

• Be kind and respectful. Be thoughtful about what you Snap and don't send people things they don't want to receive.
• Remember, anyone can take a screenshot of a Snap, or simply use another camera to take a picture of a Snap that appears on their screen. It’s also worth noting that Story viewers or Snap recipients may be able to remove effects (like doodles and stickers) from your Snaps if they’re using a jailbroken phone or other means. It’s best not to use a doodle to cover up anything you wouldn’t want friends to see.
• Check your privacy settings to choose who can send you Snaps and view your Stories.
• Keep your password safe. Don't share your password with other people, applications, or websites. Use a different password for every service you use.
• Read our Community Guidelines and help your friends follow them as well. If you experience something upsetting, let us know and tell a parent or trusted adult.

In a previous blog post the guidance counselors from John Glenn Middle School shared some tips/advice on how to keep your kids safe online as well some guidelines for using social media appropriately. Over the summer I read the book, Outsmarting Your Kids Onlline: A Safety Handbook for Overwhelmed Parents by Amber Mac and Michael Bazzell, and it became clear to me that addressing unsafe student social networking directly involves educating our parent community.

To this point, Bedford Youth and Family Services has sponsored a parent assembly titled, "Navigating the Cyber World for Parents of Teens". The assembly will be on Thursday, October 6th from 5:45 - 6:30 pm and will be held in the John Glenn Middle School auditorium. Please note that this assembly will preceed back to school night, which begins at 6:30pm.

Given the risks associated with adolescent misuse of social media, a deeper discussion into some of the more commonly used apps might be valuable.  The intent is to provide you, our wider parent community, with useful information how various applications fuction so that you may better monitor your child's use. It is also important that parents understand common warning signs of unsafe social networking.  

Warning signs of concerning unsafe social networking student behavior:

• Difficulties respecting no-phone/technology times
• Anxiety when your child cannot connect to social media, or panic when phone is left behind
• Excessive, hidden, or late night online activities
• Compulsive checking of devices
• Isolation from family or loss of interest in offline recreational activities

While it is certainly common, and  very much developmentally appropriate that middle school students seek greater independence from parents, is is essential that parents continually monitor online social media activity.  Please consider the comments from Alyson Schafer, an author and public speaker on parenting in the digital age, "Remember, they are preparing for adulthood, and as 'adults in training' they need to be ready to launch into a world without parental supervision. That means that we need to educate and allow them an opportunity for more self-directed or self-disciplined behavior each year. But if your teen is evading or failing to maintain these responsibilities, parents need to discuss their concerns and step in if their teen can't manage to rectify their situation on their own." To this point, supervising middle school student use of social media requires that parents have a clear understanding how various social media apps, such as Instagram, function.  As a bit of a disclaimer here: the below information has been pulled from a variety of sources and I have done my best to provide you with direct links to source so that you can learn more.

Instagram is a social media image sharing free app for use with mobile phone or devices with digital cameras with over 50 million users.  Instgram is popular with middle school students.  Below are several resources for you to become better aquanited with Instagram.

• The nonprofit organization, Connect-Safely, created this Instragram Parent Guidebook in a PDF.  It is worthy of your review.
• Similarily, another organization called SociallyActive published an online article titled, "Instagram & Kids: A parent's guide to privacy and safety."  

In an effort to better inform you how Instagram functions, the information below is provided directly from Instagram (which is owned by Facebook). First and foremost, per  Instagram's Term of Use  the company requires that users are at least 13 years of age, in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act; points worth discussing with your middle school student. Should you allow your student to create an Instagram account, I strongly encourage that you create your own Instagram and then follow your child. 

(From the Instagram FAQ Website)​

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your mobile phone, then choose a filter to transform the image into a memory to keep around forever. We're building Instagram to allow you to experience moments in your friends' lives through pictures as they happen. We imagine a world more connected through photos.

How does privacy work?

We have adopted a follower model that means if you're "public" on Instagram, anyone can subscribe to follow your photos. We do, however, have a special private option. In this mode, a user can make sure he/she must approve all follow requests before they go through.

Who can see my photos?

All photos are public by default which means they are visible to anyone using Instagram or on the instagram.com website. If you choose to make your account private, then only people who follow you on Instagram will be able to see your photos.  Uou may elect to create a private Instagram account. In that case, only users who you approve may follow you and view your photos. Head to your profile tab and scroll down to “Privacy.” There, you may select to make photos private.

Beginner's Guide to Instagram:

Started in 2010, Instagram has always been an almost exclusively mobile platform. Therefore, users must download the iPhone or Android app to a smartphone or other mobile device in order to register an Instagram account. Once registered, users can change the profile picture and edit profile information, which includes a brief 150-character bio and a website. 

Once an Instagram  account is created users can enable the following push notifications:

• When a user likes or comments on one of your photos.
• When a user @mentions you in a comment.
• When your photo is posted to the Popular page.
• When you are tagged in a photo

​Again, because Instagram is a relatively isolated social app that lives inherently on mobile, connecting social accounts and platforms enables a wider network. You may choose to link Instagram to your Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Tumblr, Flickr, and VK accounts. Each time you upload a photo to Instagram, you’ll have the option to share to each of the social networks you’ve enabled, or to none. If you choose to share to no social networks, the photo will post only to Instagram, viewable only by those users who follow you on the app.  Instagram also enables a wide variety of filters for users to edit and enhance uploaded images.

When an account is set to private, they will get a notification any time someone wants to follow them. They can choose whether to approve it or not. The image to the right shows what you need to click on to set this properly. Please note that the source of much of this information is taken directly from a Mashable article titled, 'Beginner's Guide to Instagram'. 

Understand there will be some pushback here. For many kids (and adults), social media is about the number of followers they can get, the number of likes they can tally for their images. Some kids promise in their profile descriptions that they will always follow back. The screenshot Instagram account below is from the article, "Your Kid Wants an Instagram Account? What Parents Need to Know".  As you can see below, Instagram allows other users to comment on posted images.

Instagram Videos
In addition to images, Instagram also allows users to upload video files. With Instagram video, you can record short video clips ranging anywhere from three to fifteen seconds long.  

Instagram Direct
This feature is a direct messaging function that allows Instagram users to privately exchange messages or pictures. You can read more about the Instagram Direct feature here in the online tips for parents article. It’s an online private conversation between 2 or 15 users, and can include people who aren’t approved as followers. ​

Tagging Pictures
Your child should review when a friend tags them in a picture or description (they will get a notification from Instagram). If they don’t like the picture or what is being said, they need to contact that friend to ask them to remove the tag and/or take the picture down. Every user needs to learn how to monitor mentions and images of themselves online.
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Blocking & Removing Followers
Your child can also remove followers and block other people on Instagram. When they block another person, that person can't view your child's photos/videos or search for their Instagram account. People aren't notified when they're blocked. Learn more about blocking people.
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​As a parent, please understand that you can temporarily disable your child's Instagram account or even delete the account permanently.  Here is how to do both.

Temporarily Disable Instagram Account:
If you decide to temporarily disable an Instagram account, the account, photos, comments and likes will be hidden, but not deleted, until it is reactivated by logging back in. To temporarily disable your account:

1. Log into instagram.com from a mobile browser or computer. You can't temporarily disable your account from within the Instagram app.
2. Click your username in the top right and then select Edit Profile.
3. Click Temporarily disable my account in the bottom right and follow the on-screen instructions. Please note that you will need to be able to log into your account to temporarily disable it. ​

Permanently Delete Instagram Account:
When you delete your account, your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes and followers will be permanently removed. After you delete your account, you can't sign up again with the same username or add it to another existing account, and we can't reactivate the account. To permanently delete your account:

1. Go to the Delete Your Account page. If you're not logged into Instagram on the web, you'll be asked to log in first.
2. Select an option from the drop-down menu next to Why are you deleting your account? and re-enter your password. The option to permanently delete your account will only appear after you've selected a reason from the menu.
3. Click or tap Permanently delete my account.

If you'd like to delete a different account, click the username in the top-right of the Delete Your Account page and select Log Out. Log back in as the account you want to delete and follow the directions above.

Next up - Part 3 SnapChat.