June 1st is National Delete Snapchat Day! Learn about the dangers of Snapchat and join the movement to delete the app.
First of all, what is Snapchat?
Snapchat is a popular social media platform that was designed to send quick messages and pictures to your friends. However, the hype around the popular app is the messages and pictures you see and send disappear after a few seconds, and users are notified if the other party screenshots the content. According to Statista.com, there are 280 million Snapchat users with 48% ranging from 15-25.
Why are we deleting Snapchat?
Social media influencer Collin Kartchner started National Delete Snapchat day in 2018 to help protect children from the dangers of modern technology. This all started when Cosmopolitan started an X-rated channel on Snapchat named, “Cosmo After Dark.” This channel contained “nearly porn” images that were readily available to all Snapchat users, including children. Although this channel was removed, there are still many dangers of Snapchat.
What are the dangers of Snapchat?
1. “Disappearing” messages. Like we mentioned earlier, Snapchat messages “disappear” after opening them. Many children have used the app to send naked images and inappropriate messages believing there was no way the images could be saved without them knowing. However, many apps have been created that actually save every message and picture sent or received within the app. This has caused an abundance of cyberbullying, revenge porn, and anxiety amongst kids. This also means there is no way for parents to monitor their child’s activity on the app.
2. Snap Map. If opted-in, Snap Map allows your Snapchat friends to see your location in real-time. The biggest risk is that many users have public profiles and add people they do not know—allowing strangers to see their location.
3. Discover. Snapchat has a Discover feature that is curated content from news outlets, celebrities, advertisers, and more. While some content is posted from legitimate news outlets such as New York Times, often the content is mature. The minimum age requirement for Snapchat is 13, however like most social media platforms, younger children often lie about their age in order to create an account. But if the correct birth date is input, some of the mature content on Discover will be filtered.
It’s time to delete Snapchat! The best way to keep your child safe from the dangers of Snapchat is to delete the app. To delete Snapchat, use the username and password to login to the account and go to the Accounts Portal. The account will be deactivated for 30 days where users will be unable to interact with their Snapchat friends. After 30 days, the account will be permanently deleted.
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The mission of the Safe Surfin’ Foundation is not only to protect youth from those who would do them harm, but pro-actively educating them in the safe and responsible use of today’s ever-changing technology. Together, we’re improving and saving lives. Help us continue educating kids online by donating today.