Colman Noctor: Everything parents need to know about their child's use of Snapchat
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One of the most common concerns I hear from parents is about their children’s use of Snapchat. The multimedia messaging app has more than 800m monthly active users worldwide, with its engaging animation features particularly appealing to young audiences.
Users can send photos, videos, and messages that disappear after viewing. It’s famous for its Stories feature, which allows users to post pictures or videos that last for 24 hours, and Snaps, or short videos or photos only viewable once by the recipient.
It also strongly emphasises augmented reality (AR), offering various filters and lenses that allow users to add real-time effects, animations, and overlays to their photos and videos.
However, Snapchat is not just a space for putting funny filters on images; it has potentially harmful capabilities. It is not just a messaging platform, like WhatsApp, but a social media platform akin to TikTok and YouTube.
A feature called Discover delivers content from news outlets, influencers, and publishers, and Spotlight showcases short videos from users across the platform. L
ike TikTok’s For You page or Instagram reels, Spotlight allows users to share creative videos so they reach a wider audience and uses an algorithm to display content based on user engagement and relevance.
Snapchat does not always accurately curtail or filter content to the user’s age. Not only are they vulnerable to viewing inappropriate content, they can also create and share such content on Spotlight. It couldn’t be simpler: users create a Snap by selecting Spotlight before sharing and publishing the content if it meets Snapchat’s guidelines. Moving from consumers to media producers leaves users vulnerable to sharing content they might regret later.
Many younger users are unaware of the digital tattoos that can be created once they publish content, which may be used later to compromise their credibility. Most are unaware of the longer-term consequences of producing public content.
In a recent LinkedIn article, Iryna Shostak, CEO and marketing director at Linza, reported that 70% of companies use social media screening when hiring, and 57% don’t hire candidates because of what they find in their profiles.
While I accept this may be a difficult concept to explain to younger teens — not unlike talking to them about saving for a pension — it is still a conversation we need to have.
Snapchat’s primary appeal is that messages and photos disappear quickly, which can create a false sense of security. Users may feel emboldened to send risky or inappropriate content, thinking it will be gone forever. However, it is helpful to remind children that screenshots or screen recordings can capture content before it disappears and only share things they’d be comfortable with anyone seeing.
Snapchat has another potentially concerning feature called a Snap Map, which lets users share their location with friends and see where others are. Parents need to encourage their children to use ‘ghost mode’, which allows them to use the app without sharing their location. They can also restrict it to trusted friends only.
Another feature that keeps children attached to their screens is Snapstreak. Designed to reward daily interaction with friends, it can pressure users to use the app frequently to keep streaks going. This gamified strategy works when users send a Snap (picture) to each other within a 24-hour window, creating a streak. This reciprocal act of sending snaps over and back must be sustained for the streak to be maintained, resulting in users sharing innocuous images of a wall or their feet to maintain the momentum. While this might seem relatively harmless, it can significantly increase user’s screen time, with the pressure to keep these streaks contributing to feelings of anxiety or stress.
I have spoken to many children in my therapy room who have been adversely affected by losing a Snapstreak. While this might seem ridiculous to adults, it has a far deeper meaning for children, who believe maintaining it is a measure of their commitment, so letting it end can be interpreted as disloyalty by friends invested in keeping the streak going.
Some children are engaged in more than one streak at a time. I heard of one case where a child was trying to maintain over 50 streaks, resulting in a chaotic dynamic on top of engaging in their daily lives. This feature can explain why some young people feel compelled to check their phones and might become anxious, stressed or angry when access to the platform is denied.
Snapchat offers a revenue-sharing model for Spotlight creators, with rewards based on engagement metrics like views and watch time. This monetisation option can make it attractive for creators looking to build an audience. It encourages young people to see content sharing as an easy career option without realising the competitiveness of the space.
It is not only younger users who subscribe to this ideology. Research earlier this year by Pure Telecom found that 48% of the population in Ireland would consider a job as a social media influencer, with 56% stating they believe they would earn more than they do now. Just under half said they want to be an influencer because they are interested in the work, while 32% said it was because of the free products and services. Around 44% of social media users said influencers impact their purchasing decisions.
The odds of becoming famous on social media — and earning a living from it — are very low. The reported that 50m people identify as independent content creators, yet fewer than 100 accounts will generate enough earnings to support someone for more than five years.
The other concern about Snapchat is it has become synonymous with cyberbullying and harassment. Due to the app’s disappearing messages feature, users may be more likely to receive mean or hurtful messages that can’t be documented. This also makes it harder for parents to monitor conversations.
Preparation is the best defence. Before they sign up to any social media app, talk to your child about cyberbullying and let them know they can come to you if they experience or witness it. Snapchat has a blocking and reporting feature that can help prevent further harassment, but this is often a case of closing the door after the horse has bolted.
Although Snapchat accounts are typically private, there is an ongoing risk of children being exposed to unsavoury users. They may receive friend requests from strangers or messages from unknown users and must be told how to manage this, should it occur. Parents can check their child’s privacy settings to ensure only their approved friends can contact them. Also, children need to be told and reminded never to accept friend requests or respond to messages from people they don’t know.
Like all internet-based technologies, Snapchat users are susceptible to scams or phishing. Some users may attempt to scam or manipulate others, asking for money or personal information under false pretences. So, teach your child about common scams, like phishing, and emphasise that they should never share personal information, like passwords or financial details, with anyone online.
The biggest concern for me is the negative mental health impact of Snapchat. Social comparison, Fomo (fear of missing out), and seeking validation through Snapchat views and responses can impact users’ self-esteem and mental wellbeing.
It’s critical that we discuss social media and its effect on self-image with our children. Help them understand that social media only shows a small part of others’ lives and that this content does not accurately reflect ‘real life’.
Tips for parents to help mitigate Snapchat risks:
- Keep up with Snapchat’s latest features and settings. This will help you understand the platform and how to guide your child;
- Encourage open conversations about their social media experiences;
- Work with your child to create boundaries, such as limiting screen time, setting a reasonable age for Snapchat use, and regularly reviewing privacy settings;
- Some apps provide monitoring and usage insights for social media, including Snapchat.
Snapchat has a minimum age limit of 13, which is still too low for an app with so much potential to harm. In the ideal world scenario, no child can access social media until they are socially, cognitively, and emotionally mature enough to handle this responsibility. Still, the reality is that most primary schoolchildren are now on Snapchat.
Despite the consensus among health experts about the adverse health effects of social media use, it’s still up to parents and other concerned adults to find solutions. The burden on governments to recognise the negative health impact and create policies to regulate these highly profitable companies is painstakingly slow. Educating parents about the profound effect of social media is the next best thing while we wait for legislation to hold companies such as Snapchat accountable.
- Dr Colman Noctor is a child psychotherapist