Snapchat - any opinions from parents or teens?

[Ginny365]

www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11966036/Snapchat-just-reserved-the-rights-to-store-and-use-all-selfies-taken-with-the-device.html this article sounds a bit alarming.

I also have been told it is popular for sexting?!

Dd 12yrs wants it on her phone. I have said no. Aibu?!

Just to be clear, I don't think for a minute dd would be using it for sexting!

It does seem to be used a lot so banning it will mark her out & risks her trying to use it on the sly.

With pre-teens/young teens I prefer to allow but say I must have immediate access to check up on how something is being used, then reduce as they get older & privacy becomes more important to them.

She can't get it without me knowing as her apple account still requires parental permission.

I know what you are saying about being left out, which is why I am asking, she has whatsapp and Instagram so she's not in a social media/texting void though.

Oh and yy to the access, that's the rule here too.

Ds2 seems to have a lot of snapchat messages - I think a lot are group ones (??) I can ask him - so she would get left out of that.

Ds2 is very low risk for sexing though!

Sexting - he's not yet interested in girls

DD has this ... its fine silly pics .. not all teens send these types of things. DD was bullied at one point we took pics of the chat .. they only last 10 seconds.
If shes sensible and can talk to you it should fine.

Yy Sally - bullying was another reason we are wary, our friend's dd 14yrs had some nasty bullying via snapchat.
Sounds like it might not be too bad though. It's just the one app that sticks in my throat a bit, the temporary nature of it makes it ripe for nastiness. Maybe I am being too protective though, dd is very sensible, but quite naive.

I think it depends on the child really. Ds2 switched age 12 from assuming if people were nasty to him there must be something wrong with him to thinking that people who were nasty were idiots. He would def have been more vulnerable prior to that switch in thinking.

Yes, Devilish, not sure dd has fully made that switch yet. Sometimes I have pointed out the reasons behind a person's behaviour (if it is obvious, I'm not claiming to be a psychiatrist here) she is suprised but does take it on board. Parenting in the age of tech does bring up some shit dilemmas which previous generations didn't have to deal with! My dad says he is glad he doesn't have to parent teenagers now

It is hard. Ds2 was bullied at primary & it did make him vulnerable. He built up his confidence outsude school & then it was suddenly as if he has enough to manage people being mean.

I monitored very closely before he had that & had a lot of chats with him. Which he might have hated :o

I think a lot of teres are impulsive and easily lead. One pic/message can be sent in a second and be all round school. You DC has to be equally responsible for stuff they send or pass on. But schools are catching up and giving out the rigjt messages!

I wouldn't let a 12 year old have snapchat if she already has whatsapp and Instagram. It's good that you still have the parental controls set up on her account.

It doesn't matter how sensible your DD is it's the other DC you have to watch out for