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ConnectSafely.org, the nonprofit Internet safety organization where I serve as co-director, just published two new parents’ guides to Instagram and Snapchat, answering the Top 5 questions parents have about these photo-sharing apps so popular with kids including:
- Why kids love these apps
- What the risks of each app are
- How to help kids stay safe using the apps
- How to report abuse and block problem users
- How to use privacy settings
I co-wrote the guides along with my ConnectSafely.org co-director Anne Collier,
A Parents’ Guide to Instagram and A Parents’ Guide to Snapchat cut through the sometimes scary media hype to provide parents with the clarity they need to talk with their kids about optimizing the apps for safety, privacy and reputation protection. They address the apps’ minimum age, how to manage a profile (in Instagram), and how Snapchat photos actually can last more than 10 seconds.
“It’s important for parents, educators and policy makers to understand how these apps work and how kids are using them,” said ConnectSafely co-director Larry Magid. “Our main goal is to encourage parents to have a conversation with their kids about how they use these services,” said co-director Anne Collier.
The guides, which join ConnectSafely’s A Parents’ Guide to Facebook and A Parents’ Guide to Google+, are available at ConnectSafely.org/guides and feature illustrated instructions for using the apps and important pointers for parents on kids’ safety, privacy, and reputation protection.
ConnectSafely.org today also debuted its redesigned website, complete with new content, including downloadable and printable tips on subjects such as cyberbullying and sexting and the latest news and commentary on Internet safety and citizenship.
About ConnectSafely
ConnectSafely is a non-profit organization with resources for parents, teens, educators, advocates, policy makers – everyone engaged in and interested in the impact of the social Web.