So you’ve probably heard of Snapchat – maybe you’ve been shown some of filters and maybe you’ve seen the horror on a young person’s face when they accidentally end a streak…. But really what does that even mean?

Well let’s start with the basics – snap chat is an app used to send pictures and videos for an allotted amount of time – usually this is around 10 seconds after that the picture disappears.  Young people  are drawn to Snapchat because of the security this brings but unfortunately the concept of send, viewed then deleted is not fool proof – there is nothing stopping someone taking a screen grab – this does result in the sender getting a notification but they have no power to remove this image from the receivers phone. In addition there is nothing stopping someone taking a picture of the picture.

Unfortunately this means potentially embarrassing or even illegal images can be stored and ultimately shared, often finding their way onto the web.

As for streaking well while this may sound suspect the concept is actually innocent – a streak is the name given when two people send each other a snapchat each day on a consecutive basis.

Streaking is extremely addictive and often the younger generation use this as a measure of the strength of ones friendship. The higher the streak the better the friendship. as a result unnecessarily ending a streak can often cause arguments, friendships to end and in some cases online and playground bullying.

In addition to streaking, there are also snapchat stories which are made up of images and videos and added to throughout the day with anyone in the creators friend list being able to view this.

So that’s our wrap up of snapchat; the things to remember are

Snapchat is popularised by the concept of send, seen, deleted

A streak, while the concept may seem very odd to you can be really important for young people

And the most important thing to consider when discussing snapchat is the fact using the app to send pictures doesn’t guarantee they will never be viewed by someone else or find their way onto the internet.

When talking to young people about snapchat discuss the risks that can come from sending images to people they don’t know or don’t trust, listen to their concerns regarding ongoing streaks and the pressures they may feel to keep them going and ensure that they understand that just because they send an image on snapchat doesn’t mean someone cant screengrab or take a picture of the image and distribute it at a later date.

if you’d like more information on how to keep your students safe using snapchat visit our site at eaware.co.uk and give your students the skills they need to be safe online.

Joe Brewer

Online Safety Advisor
eAWARE