Parents of older teens, what age for Snapchat?

[Anonymous]

Sorry for the multiple posts but my typo should read - HS teacher

[Anonymous]

Normal kids are on Discord. Trashy kids are on Snapchat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Normal kids are on Discord. Trashy kids are on Snapchat.

Discord is for middle school boys and it is by far the worst for bullying

[Anonymous]

Or...and hear me out about this....follow the research and don't give middle schoolers smart phones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read any good reasons to allow Snapchat for minors in this thread. All just bad outcomes and parents afraid of parenting.

Sums it up.
But kids will use it regardless, as parents cannot control their online behavior. Kids always find out how to get around any restrictions.

Best to just make it something undesirable. Like "video games are for geeks and nerds" and they will never want to play video games.

Not true. You can easily block Snapchat on your kids phone and/or on your home router. Sure they could get a burner phone but most kids don’t have the ability or motivation to do that for Snapchat, it’s not that big of a deal.

Kids all have varying access to apps so in my experience most kids just text because that’s what everyone has.

You could not be more wrong. All you need is an old phone and wifi access. Even if they don't have one lying around the house, kids give them to friends at school or rent/sell them for like $10-20. And your home router can not block an app. There is so many work arounds. And at least in my kid's public school, the wifi is free and it allows snapchat. And if they can't do that, they just create their own account on a friend's phone and then use it and log on thru friends phones multiple times a day. It is very very easy for one person to have 3-4 log ins of friends on snap on their phone.

Listen, I get it. You try your best, but the fact is once teens get to an age where 90% of them are communicating only thru Snap, they don't want to be the one left out. I understand avoiding it in middle school, but it's better to come up with guidelines together, at least by high school. For my 15yr old, I have the app on my phone with her log ins and only I know the password and the account is under my cell and email, so I get notifications of changing passwords or adding anything. She gets 60min a day on app limits also run thru my phone thru family sharing. She has to keep on 24hrs to delete, not delete immediately. I can technically log in any time and check and she won't know when I do. At this point, I barely check. She and her friends like changing their bit moji and tracking where they are and send stupid things thru their private stories. A lot of moms are on snap too. It's a way to keep in touch and keep a snap streak going. I can totally see how much fun it is. For the way I have set up, it is much safer than iMessages that can be deleted quickly and can only be checked by accessing their phone directly. Snap keeps a log if I request it and I can check her snap even if she is not home or away on vacation with a friend etc....

You can block burner phones or whatever devices you want on your home router.

So we’re left with snap-determined kid buys an old phone off a school buddy and only uses it on school wifi, where our school does not allow phone use during school hours? Or creates an account they check on other kids’ phones when they are alone? I’d prefer that risk over allowing it everyday.

DP. Okay, be that parent. Your kid has a burner phone. There are more and more every year and the kids with the strictest parents or the ones that get their phones taken for punishment all have them. They also have VPNs installed and if they are even a little tech savvy, you don’t know when they are connecting to your home device and they can get around any of your controls or the school controls. -J’s teacher

Please explain to me how a device could connect to my wifi network without the admin (me) seeing it. I doubt he has a burner phone because I know most of his friends and they text together.

These kids who are so obsessed with Snapchat that they get burner phones they secretly use only at school when teachers aren’t looking sound like real losers. Sorry lots of kids just aren’t that into it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or...and hear me out about this....follow the research and don't give middle schoolers smart phones.

The OP asked about OLDER teens, not middle schoolers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read any good reasons to allow Snapchat for minors in this thread. All just bad outcomes and parents afraid of parenting.

Sums it up.
But kids will use it regardless, as parents cannot control their online behavior. Kids always find out how to get around any restrictions.

Best to just make it something undesirable. Like "video games are for geeks and nerds" and they will never want to play video games.

Not true. You can easily block Snapchat on your kids phone and/or on your home router. Sure they could get a burner phone but most kids don’t have the ability or motivation to do that for Snapchat, it’s not that big of a deal.

Kids all have varying access to apps so in my experience most kids just text because that’s what everyone has.

You could not be more wrong. All you need is an old phone and wifi access. Even if they don't have one lying around the house, kids give them to friends at school or rent/sell them for like $10-20. And your home router can not block an app. There is so many work arounds. And at least in my kid's public school, the wifi is free and it allows snapchat. And if they can't do that, they just create their own account on a friend's phone and then use it and log on thru friends phones multiple times a day. It is very very easy for one person to have 3-4 log ins of friends on snap on their phone.

Listen, I get it. You try your best, but the fact is once teens get to an age where 90% of them are communicating only thru Snap, they don't want to be the one left out. I understand avoiding it in middle school, but it's better to come up with guidelines together, at least by high school. For my 15yr old, I have the app on my phone with her log ins and only I know the password and the account is under my cell and email, so I get notifications of changing passwords or adding anything. She gets 60min a day on app limits also run thru my phone thru family sharing. She has to keep on 24hrs to delete, not delete immediately. I can technically log in any time and check and she won't know when I do. At this point, I barely check. She and her friends like changing their bit moji and tracking where they are and send stupid things thru their private stories. A lot of moms are on snap too. It's a way to keep in touch and keep a snap streak going. I can totally see how much fun it is. For the way I have set up, it is much safer than iMessages that can be deleted quickly and can only be checked by accessing their phone directly. Snap keeps a log if I request it and I can check her snap even if she is not home or away on vacation with a friend etc....

You can block burner phones or whatever devices you want on your home router.

So we’re left with snap-determined kid buys an old phone off a school buddy and only uses it on school wifi, where our school does not allow phone use during school hours? Or creates an account they check on other kids’ phones when they are alone? I’d prefer that risk over allowing it everyday.

DP. Okay, be that parent. Your kid has a burner phone. There are more and more every year and the kids with the strictest parents or the ones that get their phones taken for punishment all have them. They also have VPNs installed and if they are even a little tech savvy, you don’t know when they are connecting to your home device and they can get around any of your controls or the school controls. -J’s teacher

Please explain to me how a device could connect to my wifi network without the admin (me) seeing it. I doubt he has a burner phone because I know most of his friends and they text together.

These kids who are so obsessed with Snapchat that they get burner phones they secretly use only at school when teachers aren’t looking sound like real losers. Sorry lots of kids just aren’t that into it.

You sit hourly and check your router’s device history. Be real lady.

My daughter has a friend like you and they used a neighbors wifi or a hotspot. It’s rly not as hard as you think. And kids unfortunately are on their phones during school, but if my mom was this much of a stickler, I can see where a kid would prioritize a burner phone during school to socialize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read any good reasons to allow Snapchat for minors in this thread. All just bad outcomes and parents afraid of parenting.

Sums it up.
But kids will use it regardless, as parents cannot control their online behavior. Kids always find out how to get around any restrictions.

Best to just make it something undesirable. Like "video games are for geeks and nerds" and they will never want to play video games.

Not true. You can easily block Snapchat on your kids phone and/or on your home router. Sure they could get a burner phone but most kids don’t have the ability or motivation to do that for Snapchat, it’s not that big of a deal.

Kids all have varying access to apps so in my experience most kids just text because that’s what everyone has.

You could not be more wrong. All you need is an old phone and wifi access. Even if they don't have one lying around the house, kids give them to friends at school or rent/sell them for like $10-20. And your home router can not block an app. There is so many work arounds. And at least in my kid's public school, the wifi is free and it allows snapchat. And if they can't do that, they just create their own account on a friend's phone and then use it and log on thru friends phones multiple times a day. It is very very easy for one person to have 3-4 log ins of friends on snap on their phone.

Listen, I get it. You try your best, but the fact is once teens get to an age where 90% of them are communicating only thru Snap, they don't want to be the one left out. I understand avoiding it in middle school, but it's better to come up with guidelines together, at least by high school. For my 15yr old, I have the app on my phone with her log ins and only I know the password and the account is under my cell and email, so I get notifications of changing passwords or adding anything. She gets 60min a day on app limits also run thru my phone thru family sharing. She has to keep on 24hrs to delete, not delete immediately. I can technically log in any time and check and she won't know when I do. At this point, I barely check. She and her friends like changing their bit moji and tracking where they are and send stupid things thru their private stories. A lot of moms are on snap too. It's a way to keep in touch and keep a snap streak going. I can totally see how much fun it is. For the way I have set up, it is much safer than iMessages that can be deleted quickly and can only be checked by accessing their phone directly. Snap keeps a log if I request it and I can check her snap even if she is not home or away on vacation with a friend etc....

You can block burner phones or whatever devices you want on your home router.

So we’re left with snap-determined kid buys an old phone off a school buddy and only uses it on school wifi, where our school does not allow phone use during school hours? Or creates an account they check on other kids’ phones when they are alone? I’d prefer that risk over allowing it everyday.

DP. Okay, be that parent. Your kid has a burner phone. There are more and more every year and the kids with the strictest parents or the ones that get their phones taken for punishment all have them. They also have VPNs installed and if they are even a little tech savvy, you don’t know when they are connecting to your home device and they can get around any of your controls or the school controls. -J’s teacher

Please explain to me how a device could connect to my wifi network without the admin (me) seeing it. I doubt he has a burner phone because I know most of his friends and they text together.

These kids who are so obsessed with Snapchat that they get burner phones they secretly use only at school when teachers aren’t looking sound like real losers. Sorry lots of kids just aren’t that into it.

I can’t, because their tech skills surpass both of ours. I was you years ago and my kid sounded like Charlie Brown’s mom when he tried explaining it to me when I asked that question to him. They can do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or...and hear me out about this....follow the research and don't give middle schoolers smart phones.

The OP asked about OLDER teens, not middle schoolers

Exactly. If you are this obsessed with older teens social media, you are going to be the same mom tracking them in college and constantly worrying.

[Anonymous]

Never. Neither my 16 year old or 14 year old have it. It hasn’t hampered their social life. There are no positives to snap chat that I can see. When they whined I had them read about Snapchat bullying and I told them the story of how their cousins phone spent weeks in a police station when they were Snapchatted classmates nude photos. (Mom sent it in when she did her nightly phone check). They quickly saw the stakes were high and backed down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No Snapchat. Also, I don’t understand why parents allow their minor daughters to post bikini pics on Vsco and instagram.

Yes I wonder this too! Pics with your friends in bikinis is fine, but not on public facing pages. Too many people looking for the wrong reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never. Neither my 16 year old or 14 year old have it. It hasn’t hampered their social life. There are no positives to snap chat that I can see. When they whined I had them read about Snapchat bullying and I told them the story of how their cousins phone spent weeks in a police station when they were Snapchatted classmates nude photos. (Mom sent it in when she did her nightly phone check). They quickly saw the stakes were high and backed down.

mhm lol

[Anonymous]

[google]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read any good reasons to allow Snapchat for minors in this thread. All just bad outcomes and parents afraid of parenting.

Sums it up.
But kids will use it regardless, as parents cannot control their online behavior. Kids always find out how to get around any restrictions.

Best to just make it something undesirable. Like "video games are for geeks and nerds" and they will never want to play video games.

Not true. You can easily block Snapchat on your kids phone and/or on your home router. Sure they could get a burner phone but most kids don’t have the ability or motivation to do that for Snapchat, it’s not that big of a deal.

Kids all have varying access to apps so in my experience most kids just text because that’s what everyone has.

You could not be more wrong. All you need is an old phone and wifi access. Even if they don't have one lying around the house, kids give them to friends at school or rent/sell them for like $10-20. And your home router can not block an app. There is so many work arounds. And at least in my kid's public school, the wifi is free and it allows snapchat. And if they can't do that, they just create their own account on a friend's phone and then use it and log on thru friends phones multiple times a day. It is very very easy for one person to have 3-4 log ins of friends on snap on their phone.

Listen, I get it. You try your best, but the fact is once teens get to an age where 90% of them are communicating only thru Snap, they don't want to be the one left out. I understand avoiding it in middle school, but it's better to come up with guidelines together, at least by high school. For my 15yr old, I have the app on my phone with her log ins and only I know the password and the account is under my cell and email, so I get notifications of changing passwords or adding anything. She gets 60min a day on app limits also run thru my phone thru family sharing. She has to keep on 24hrs to delete, not delete immediately. I can technically log in any time and check and she won't know when I do. At this point, I barely check. She and her friends like changing their bit moji and tracking where they are and send stupid things thru their private stories. A lot of moms are on snap too. It's a way to keep in touch and keep a snap streak going. I can totally see how much fun it is. For the way I have set up, it is much safer than iMessages that can be deleted quickly and can only be checked by accessing their phone directly. Snap keeps a log if I request it and I can check her snap even if she is not home or away on vacation with a friend etc....

You can block burner phones or whatever devices you want on your home router.

So we’re left with snap-determined kid buys an old phone off a school buddy and only uses it on school wifi, where our school does not allow phone use during school hours? Or creates an account they check on other kids’ phones when they are alone? I’d prefer that risk over allowing it everyday.

DP. Okay, be that parent. Your kid has a burner phone. There are more and more every year and the kids with the strictest parents or the ones that get their phones taken for punishment all have them. They also have VPNs installed and if they are even a little tech savvy, you don’t know when they are connecting to your home device and they can get around any of your controls or the school controls. -J’s teacher

Please explain to me how a device could connect to my wifi network without the admin (me) seeing it. I doubt he has a burner phone because I know most of his friends and they text together.

These kids who are so obsessed with Snapchat that they get burner phones they secretly use only at school when teachers aren’t looking sound like real losers. Sorry lots of kids just aren’t that into it.

You sit hourly and check your router’s device history. Be real lady.

My daughter has a friend like you and they used a neighbors wifi or a hotspot. It’s rly not as hard as you think. And kids unfortunately are on their phones during school, but if my mom was this much of a stickler, I can see where a kid would prioritize a burner phone during school to socialize.

No, I have an app for my router and get an alert anytime a new device tries to connect. I can then choose to allow or block. They can’t connect to a neighbor’s WiFi without knowing the password. They can’t use a hotspot unless they are literally right next to their friends. Sounds like you could really stand to invest a little more time in learning the basics to better protect your kids. Or are you always going to be one of those old ladies who needs their kids’ help logging onto AOL?

No, you can’t be 100% sure they aren’t moving heaven and earth to get Snapchat but why just give them the keys to the car? And who on earth are these kids so obsessed with Snapchat? No one in my family is big on social media, we tend to make fun of it. Maybe this is a bigger problem for MLM lifestyle coach moms who post fashion advice and family vacation photos on insta all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never. Neither my 16 year old or 14 year old have it. It hasn’t hampered their social life. There are no positives to snap chat that I can see. When they whined I had them read about Snapchat bullying and I told them the story of how their cousins phone spent weeks in a police station when they were Snapchatted classmates nude photos. (Mom sent it in when she did her nightly phone check). They quickly saw the stakes were high and backed down.

I have oceanfront property I need to sell in Kansas. You seem like you would be interested

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 13 year old son is begging for Snapchat. Says that is how all the middle school kids chat now versus texting. I’m hesitant to allow this for a rising 8th grader, but admittedly don’t know a ton about this specific social media platform. Can more experienced parents share the good, bad and ugly about Snapchat? Age it’s appropriate to get it. Thank you!

Snapchat is battling a lawsuit due to the ease of buying fentanyl. Kids are dying.