Cyberchat #4
Dear Friend,
Happy Pride Month from the team at SafetyNet®! As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, part of Pride is protecting the next generation from harm, which is why I’m so glad that the focus of this month’s CyberChat is Snapchat. It’s one of the most popular apps among young people and one of the most perplexing to the adults in their lives. Understanding how to keep our kids safe as they navigate this corner of the digital world is so important.
Thanks for taking an active role in keeping our kids safe, celebrating what makes them unique, and reinforcing that no matter how hopeless things might feel, they do indeed get better.
Anthony Methvin
SafetyNet® Presenter
Snapchat
Did you know Snapchat has 800 million monthly users? Snapchat was created in 2011 and has since risen in popularity to become a major social media app and instant messaging platform. The major appeal of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short amount of time before they disappear. Snapchat’s ghost logo alludes to this idea of semi-permanence. But are these messages truly disappearing?
Due to the promise of “snaps” disappearing, Snapchat has become a popular platform for illegal and inappropriate content as well as bullying behavior. Users may believe their content will be gone before parents or law enforcement become involved, providing a false sense of security. While most snaps disappear shortly after viewing them, there are options to change this so you can view them longer. Settings for message duration include: ‘After Viewing,’ ’24 Hours after Viewing,’ and ‘Never Delete’. There are also options for setting up photo/video duration. Sent media can be viewed for up to ten seconds or have no limit.
Recipients of your snaps can take screenshots of them, making them permanent. Snapchat will notify you of any screenshots taken within the app, but cannot notify you if another device is taking a picture of the screen. These pictures can then be used as the person sees fit without the sender being aware their content has been compromised.
In 2023, Snapchat added “My AI” to all user profiles. My AI is an experimental chatbot that is automatically pinned to the top of your chat list on Snapchat. You cannot remove My AI unless you pay for “Snapchat+”, their monthly paid subscription. According to Snapchat, these chatbot’s responses may include biased, incorrect, harmful, or misleading content. Additionally, all content shared with My AI is stored until you delete it. With this in mind, users should avoid sharing confidential or sensitive information with My AI. If you share your location with your friends through the app, My AI is tracking you as well.
So, how can you better protect yourself or your loved ones from the dangers of Snapchat? Check out our Safety Tips and Resources.
Safety Tips
- Be present on the social media platforms kids use. Create a Snapchat account and add your child as a Friend to monitor activity.
- Go through your child’s Friends list on Snapchat. Who are they friends with? Do they know them in real life? What do they talk about?
- Make sure the proper privacy settings are in place on the app. Turn off location sharing and make sure the account is private.
- If banking information is used to pay for SnapChat+, regularly change the password to maintain the account’s security.
Resources
- Parent’s Guide to Snapchat
- What is My AI?
- What is Snapchat+?
- When does Snapchat delete Snaps and Chats?
OurPact’s View Feature
With OurPact, monitoring your kids’ device usage becomes a seamless part of teaching them to balance their digital habits with real-life experiences. OurPact’s ‘View’ feature acts as your window into their digital world, providing snapshots of their virtual interactions, from social media chats to their latest internet searches. View’s companion feature, Categories, uses OCR technology to scan screenshots and flag inappropriate content. It sorts flagged content into five categories: Sexual Content, Profanity, Violence, Substance Abuse, and a Custom category where you can add your own keywords. Flagged images are easily identifiable and can be filtered for quick review. Learn How it Works
SafetyNet: Smart Cyber Choices® is a collaborative program of the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (SD-ICAC) and the San Diego Police Foundation. It is designed to help kids, parents, educators, and concerned adults learn how to keep kids safe online.
On June 4th, the San Diego Police Foundation received a $20,000 grant from St. Germaine Children’s Charity for our SafetyNet® program. Additionally, SafetyNet® was accorded St. Germaine’s highest honor: the Barbara Christensen Heart of San Diego Award. This recognition is given to a San Diego nonprofit that is making a powerful step towards ending child abuse. The team at SafetyNet® is elated to receive this high honor. We warmly welcome your support for our award-winning SafetyNet® program to keep kids safe online.