What is it for?
The instant messaging app for iPhone and Android allows you to send photos and videos that self-destruct after a certain time after being seen. Children use it to communicate with their friends and be up to date with what they do, for them it is "faster" than whats app. Yes, they read well. They can also follow it to celebrities who update their profile in this application.
How is it used?
To share a photo, you must press the circular button on the screen. To make a video, you must hold it down for several seconds.
To share it with someone there are two options:
- After capturing the photo or making the video, you can select 'my story' so that the video is public and show it to all contacts, you can select a friend or several.
- You can start a chat with a person, and there you can share photos, text, and videos with them.
Snapchat offers the possibility to edit videos and photos and use the funniest filters.
In the lower left, you can click on the clock icon and choose how long the image will last until it is automatically deleted.
In the upper right, you can write by hand, include emoticons...
Sliding your finger to the right or left will add filters to Instagram style. If you touch on the screen, you can add personalized text and place it where you prefer.
If you want to add a fun filter that fits your face keep your finger pressed on your face.
Different Uses
In addition to sending photos and videos with different filters, Snapchat has a portal called 'Discover,' in which the most important news and information from around the world and from different media are published.
Currently, you can find many famous Snapchat; singers, artists, actors, YouTuber's, models, athletes ... and follow their publications.
Risks and recommendations
Snapchat is having success among young people, as it helps them to exchange images or videos of sexual or pornographic content ... Although the image disappears after a few seconds, screenshots can always be taken. If this happens, the application warns you. However, by then the damage will be done. Two months ago, Giovanna Holton, a 15-year-old American, committed suicide three hours after a friend posted a nude photo of herself on Snapchat.
Besides being prudent, since you never know who can harm us or vice versa, it is recommended to reset the password every so often and not have the same password for everything.
On the other hand, the privacy policy of the app itself includes in its terms and conditions that it has the right to "store and share any photo that is published in the app ." So the images or videos are not temporary.
It is important to review the privacy settings, the list of friends and checks that you have people who know each other to avoid sex offenders posing as other people. Also, there is a great risk connecting Snapchat to third-party applications, since some could be spies and collect intimate photos.
Besides making sure that proper settings are configured on children’s Snapchat, parents may also need to know what on earth children are sending or receiving on Snapchat. It’s nothing wrong that children want privacy and respect, but they may cross the line easily. And the consequence may be too heavy for them to bear. For instance, children may make new friends via Snapchat and even have an intimate connection with those strangers. Surely children will enjoy themselves in Snapchat if they behave themselves well and don’t encounter any unwanted trouble.
However, what if that’s not the case? Maybe parents should so something secret to watching what children are doing on Snapchat. For instance, parents can make use of Snapchat spy app to know what children are sending or receiving in Snapchat conversations. It may be a good way to prevent potential dangers from occurring in advance.
