My 10 yearold wants to go online and use whats app and snap chat

[tigin44]

This may seem very backward to a lot of you, but my eldest wants to "go on" whats app/snapchat and i am very very slow to let this happen. My kids have tablets but its very closely monitored and used mainly for games or for e-readers. and i just dont like the idea of letting her access those apps, esp snapchat. Any thoughts/advice would be very welcome

I'd be very cautious of SnapChat - the messages disappear after a short time, which can mean that she will be lured into a sense of security about what she posts saying private.

It's not backward to want to be sure of what you are letting her do. On the contrary, it is very sensible. I've some info here on my blog about eSafety which might help.

My kids are 13 and 10 and are not yet on Snapchat. I've let them use Instagram, and keep an eye on what they are doing.

You have to be 13 to use Snapchat and 16 to use What'sApp. So that's the argument I'd use

Many thanks for the reply. The threads disappearing... that is why i don't like snapchat and in a very strange way i have found my daughter is dealing with peer pressure in terms of using it and i'm dealing with peer pressure in terms of letting her use it! Thanks again!!

The age limits are an excellent argument i was not aware of and i know i will get the by xyz is using it back but it is a great base to start with. I do take the "im the adult" approach with issues such as these but sometimes its good to have the back up with knowledge such as this rather then me just putting my foot down

The age limits are an excellent argument i was not aware of and i know i will get the by xyz is using it back but it is a great base to start with. I do take the "im the adult" approach with issues such as these but sometimes its good to have the back up with knowledge such as this rather then me just putting my foot down

Oddford, i had no idea of the age limits thank you for that info. I do tend to try to talk to them about issues such as these, and but with very much "I'm the adult" approach as well, however great to have facts such as that for back up! I'm finding this whole age (Tweens) a minefield even more scary than the first few years. so a newbie here and thankful so far for the advice and tips!!!

The age limit only gets you so far, when 'all my friends are using it' starts up though.

In my opinion, let them start using social media at a younger age, under supervision, and gently teach them how to use it safely. No point in saying 'not till you are 13yrs' and then when they are a teen, letting them download whatever app they want!

Sorry for having to ask but can i delete repeated threads? Ive posted it a few times accidentally...

Duplicate posts on this thread, or duplicate threads? Don't bother if it is just a duplicate post, but if you accidentally posted several threads, then you can report to MNHQ and they'll delete them.

Seems to be happening a lot today!

I'm 22 and don't understand trust Snapchat just based on things I've heard. To me Whatsapp is safe as you can choose who can contact you. I only allow people in my contact list to be able to message me. I wasn't even aware the minimum limit was 16!

MmeLondor, i must admit that is the worry ie all my friends are on it especially when the childminders daughter, who is in the same class, is on snapchat as well. Im thinking the isntagram or whats app may e the way to go. Also,I guess to be honest she is the eldest so usual story of being wayyyyyyyy more restrictive than with my other kids. I'm mad at myself as I am the eldest as well and could see this with my siblings and swore it wouldn't be me but here I am doing the same thing.

and yes i was referring to duplicate posts really.... thanks!

Min age on WhatsApp is because it is linked to other sites, such as Reddit. Didn't used to be, but when they did that, I deleted from my kids' phones.

What a coincidence, that the poster Ksiynder has only posted on three threads, all today about eSafety and recommended Keylogging software.

Fwiw, I don't agree with spying on your kids. It is an awful breach of trust. Installing spying software to snoop on them may well totally backfire, and you will never get their trust back.