Understanding Snapchat‘s Appeal and Risks

Snapchat is an image and video messaging app with a huge appeal amongst teenagers and young adults. Some key stats about its popularity:

• Over 265 million daily active users of Snapchat globally [1]
• Over 90% of 13-24 year olds in the US use Snapchat [2]
• Users spend 30+ minutes per day on Snapchat on average [3]

But amidst its viral popularity lie some genuine concerns over Snapchat‘s impact on young people‘s safety and wellbeing.

Why Snapchat is So Addictive

Snapchat is brilliantly designed to capture attention with:

• FOMO-Inducing Features: Snapchat Stories expire after 24 hours and Snapstreaks require daily communication, driving compulsive use fueled by fear-of-missing-out.
• Variable Reward System: The unpredictability of receiving snaps or having a snap replied to releases dopamine, much like slot machines retain addicted players.
• Social Acceptance Drive: Features like the Snap Map satisfy young people‘s need to compare themselves socially and derive their self-worth from popularity.

This addictive potential is evidenced by one study finding Snapchat to be the most difficult social platform for young people to abstain from. [4]

Risks of Overuse

Consequently, several risks manifest when adolescents overuse Snapchat:

• Mental Health Issues: Correlations found between heavy Snapchat usage and conditions like anxiety, depression, impulsivity and aggression. [5]
• Privacy Invasion: Snap Map location sharing creates stalking risks. Face filters normalize facial recognition technology which threatens privacy.
• Distraction/Reduced Sleep: 53% of very frequent teen Snapchat users have been distracted from friends/family due to using Snapchat. 28% have lost sleep due to it. [6]

So in summary – Snapchat may seem like harmless fun, but behind the playful exterior lies something altogether more concerning for parents.

Comparative Usage Stats

To put into context how widely used Snapchat is by youth, here is how it compares to other major social platforms:

Table shows % of US teenagers who use each platform

With over two-thirds of teens actively using it, Snapchat is clearly a highly influential communication channel amongst youth. As such, understanding its risks is essential for parents.

Now that we better understand Snapchat, let‘s explore parents‘ motivations for blocking Snapchat more closely.

Protect from Cyberbullying

The ephemeral nature of Snapchat messages means evidence of cyberbullying vanishes quickly. This makes it harder to detect and address bullying appropriately. Complete blocks remove this threat altogether.

• 1 in 3 teens have experienced cyberbullying on Snapchat specifically. [7]

Limit Stranger Contact

Snapchat‘s friend-finding features based on contacts or location data facilitate contact from strangers.

• 22% of underage teen accounts (under 13) are found by random strangers who sexualize them. [8]

Blocking stops strangers easily contacting kids on Snapchat before grooming starts.

Reduce Sexting Incidents

Sexting is made easier by Snapchat‘s ephemeral messaging that youth wrongly assume vanishes forever.

However figures show:

• 12% of Snapchat teen users partake in sexting on the platform. [9]
• 10% have sent sexts to total strangers. [10]

Blocking Snapchat removes this sense of privacy and secrecy that encourages such risky behavior.

Improve Concentration

Heavy Snapchat usage leads kids to become disengaged from family, friends and work as the graphics below illustrate:

53% of Heavy Teen Snapchat Users Get Distracted from Friends Due to Using Snapchat

49% of Heavy Teen Snapchat Users Lose Focus on Family Activities Due to Snapchat

Banning Snapchat aims to reclaim focus on personal relationships and responsibilities lost through digital distraction.

Promote Healthier Activities

Excess social media displaces healthy physical and social activities critical for well-rounded adolescent development.

Blocking apps like Snapchat aims to redirect kids‘ free time towards better alternatives like:

• Sports and exercise – improves fitness and mental health
• In-person interaction – builds stronger bonds and social skills
• Creative hobbies – nurtures personal expression and talent

So in summary – parents block Snapchat to negate multiple behavioral risks tied to its use. But are bans the right approach?

When looking to curb Snapchat usage, parents face a choice between total blocks, or just limiting time through parental controls. Which approach is better?

Benefits of Total Bans

Completely prohibiting access to Snapchat certainly solves the root problem:

1. Removes All Risky Activity

If the app is banned, troublesome behaviors like sexting and bullying simply have no avenue through which to occur.

2. Forces Kids to Find Healthier Hobbies

With excessive free time and boredom, children will hopefully redirect energy towards more constructive offline pursuits like sport, creative arts or socializing.

3. Sends Clear Message

An outright ban signals to children that parental concerns are serious enough to warrant such a blanket prohibition.

However, the downsides cannot be ignored…

Drawbacks of Total Bans

1. Can Strain Parent-Child Trust

Heavy-handed bans could:

• Foster resentment in the child
• Encourage kids to resort to secrecy
• Damage open channels of communication

This works against building long-term digital responsibility.

2. Risk of Online Radicalization

Some experts argue that banning mainstream sites pushes kids towards shady alternatives where radicalization risks intensify:

“Blocking content often pushes [kids] to more obscure and potentially more dangerous places online” – Stephen Balkam, CEO, Family Online Safety Institute [11]

So bans introduce new risks parents must consider.

3. Miss Teachable Moments

If kids have absolutely no supervised Snapchat access, parents lose opportunities to teach about online safety as issues arise. Space to make minor mistakes under guidance can educate.

Potential Benefits of Limited Access

Here‘s why controlled Snapchat access with clearly communicated expectations could be preferable:

1. Let Kids Mature Judgment

Set reasonable time limits which encourage kids to:

• Practice self-monitoring rather than rely on parental controls
• Build autonomy in regulating their social media use
• Learn to identify inappropriate behaviors themselves

Gradual exposure allows kids gain experience and perspective around online activity.

2. Keep Open Communication

Tell children limits aim to protect rather than punish them. Reinforce they can always consult if unsure whether content is appropriate to share. This keeps dialogue ongoing.

3. Teach Balance and Moderation

Don’t demonize Snapchat as “evil” or addictive. Instead emphasize balanced usage and responsibility, to nurture digital resilience.

So while blanket bans have merits, their risks warrant consideration of limited, conditional access with education as an alternative, moderate approach.

Whatever approach parents choose – here are practical techniques to restrict Snapchat usage on iPhones:

Remove Downloaded App

If Snapchat is already installed, ban it outright by:

1. Going to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions
2. Selecting Allowed Apps and toggling Off next to Snapchat
3. Deleting icon off the home screen

This instantly removes access on that device. However other devices or computers may still allow access.

Disable App Downloads

If other devices could have Snapchat installed, disable all new app downloads:

1. In Content & Privacy Restrictions, toggle Off the App Store
2. Toggle Off options like In-App Purchases and Sharing while there

With no app store, Snapchat can‘t be installed on new devices. This also prevents downloading other unapproved apps.

Exceptions for Learning?

To allow Snapchat for limited periods to nurture digital literacy under supervision:

1. In Screen Time > **Content & Privacy Restrictions enter a passcode
2. In App Limits choose Snapchat
3. Set a reasonable Time Limit per day/week

This approach still limits usage while leaving room for some minimal supervised access for learning purposes.

Third Party Monitoring Apps

Applications like Qustodio, Bark or Boomerang add powerful time limits, usage history reviews and alerts around concerning activity occurring within Snapchat. Their extra features complement iOS restrictions to enforce rules firmly across devices. Most offer free versions to try first before paying monthly subscriptions.

So in summary – parents have at their disposal several effective technical measures to control Snapchat usage tightly. But approaches must align with broader educational parental strategies for long term benefit.

Thus far we‘ve focused mostly on the risks stemming from user activity on Snapchat. However, a string of news stories have shone a negative spotlight on Snapchat‘s security standards, privacy protections and ethical design choices:

Such incidents exacerbate fears over Snapchat‘s ethics and ability to protect children users. They strengthen the case for parents to block usage altogether rather than rely on Snapchat safeguarding kids itself.

If platforms profit from intentionally addictive designs while disregarding privacy and security – can they really be trusted to self-regulate content risks with children? Many parents understandably think not – hence bans.

Banning social apps can‘t be the only solution though. Kids have a valid developmental need for peer connection. As such parents could suggest some healthier offline alternatives:

Shared Activities

Encourage joining sports teams, drama clubs or mentor programs. These enable socializing and bonding through productive tasks requiring collaboration and teamwork skills.

Meet Up IRL

Emphasize the importance of face-to-face interaction by scheduling meet-ups with friends at cafes, cinemas or group hangouts rather than living life through a tiny screen.

Creative Expression

Direct excess energy towards constructive creative outlets like writing, making YouTube videos, learning musical instruments or programming games. Producing content beats just consuming it passively.

The goal should be fulfilling the universal human need to connect, create and contribute – just through means less commercially exploitative and distracting than social media apps alone.

To summarize the key recommendations on restricting Snapchat on kids‘ iPhones:

• Appreciate Snapchat‘s immense popularity with teens and thus potential impact, both good and bad

• Address reasons for blocking centered not just on usage levels, but issues like cyberbullying, privacy invasion, inappropriate content risks and concentration disruption

• Consider merits and flaws in complete blocking vs conditional time limits

• Leverage iOS parental controls under Screen Time settings to remove Snapchat access rights

• Evaluate third party monitoring tools for extra visibility and restrictions needing monthly subscription fees

• Recognize however the limitations in Purely technical solutions – open communication and alternative recreational outlets must accompany them

The reality is software can enforce usage rules, but only parents can influence attitudes, motivations and behaviors driving kids to apps like Snapchat in the first place. Technical restrictions support rather than replace that long term parental guidance.

That concludes this independent expert technology advisor‘s extended guidance for parents on managing Snapchat. Hopefully the detailed analysis proves useful at keeping your teens safe online.