SNAP CHAT: Say Cheese? Or Say Uh Oh?

Snap Chat

SNAP CHAT: Say cheese? or Say uh oh?

Snap Chat is the latest appt that is all the rage with teenagers, however it appears not to be as “innocent” as it claims to be.

The idea is that you take a “fun” picture, send it to someone and then it is deleted within a certain timeframe. (eg. 10 seconds) Despite the developers claiming it is not all about “safe sexting”, that is certainly how it is being viewed by many users.

Concerns regarding “SnapChat”

·  Snap Chat allows you to send and receive photos that are deleted within seconds (along with any digital trace of them, Snap Chat claims) however images can be quickly and easily saved in other ways as well as distributed. The digital footprint also still remains.

·  Many adolescents share devices and passwords as a way of showing how close they are, so if they ever lose or loan their iPod Touch, a friend or classmate could send pictures from it, making it appear as if your child is responsible for generating them.

·  And don’t forget, unless you turn the location function off, most phones attach location and time/date data to every image, so even a silly picture a cat on their bed can tell strangers where your child is at given time.