Snapchat: The New Sexting?
By: Wendy Suares, KARK 4 News
Updated: January 31, 2013
A new app has teens sharing what they think are self-destructing pictures over the internet. It's a set-up some fear promotes sexting.
You might not have heard of Snapchat, but your teenager has. We found it's how teens are choosing to communicate, but it doesn't come without some hidden dangers.
"All my friends are doing it," says Little Rock Catholic High senior Jake Tlapek.
"Every single person that I know," agrees Madyson Harmon, a senior at Mount St. Mary Academy.
Tlapek and Harmon were among of group of seniors from Catholic High and the Mount to show us how simple it is to use. Just snap a picture or take a short video, set a timer, and send it to friends. Then it disappears in seconds.
Barth Onyekwelu said, "If it's an embarrassing picture, you can put like 2 seconds on it, and it disappears forever."
Or does it?
"Just because it says it's being deleted, doesn't mean that it is," says Stone Ward social media expert Emily Reeves.
"We're seeing about 50 million pictures shared through Snapchat every single day," she says.
Reeves warns the videos can be recovered from your phone's hard drive. And you can easily take a screenshot of the photos, as the teens showed us.
That spells trouble when users share more than they should.
Reeves says, "There are some that are using it for sexting and sending inappropriate pictures."
A search of Snapchat on social media turns up sexually explicit photos that were likely never meant for the public eye.
The teens we spoke with say their pictures are strictly PG, mostly silly faces. But they already know those photos could wind up on the web for the world to see.
"It hasn't happened to me personally, but I've seen it happen to other people," says Harmon. "It's just so humiliating."
The teens we spoke with are cautious about what they share, but admit there's a line that can easily be crossed.
"The more you Snapchat with someone, the more comfortable you feel sending them pictures of yourself, and it could go too far," says Audra Seachris.
So who's advising teens on the risks of Snapchat?
"I don't think my parents are aware of it, and I don't think a lot of adults are aware of it," says Tlapek.
Social media experts say it's your job to get familiar with Snapchat and talk with your child, pushing an important message. "If you don't want people to see it, or for it to live out there in the world forever, then don't share it," says Reeves.
Unlike with other social media apps, you can't log on to Snapchat and see what your child has been sharing, because those pictures and videos will have disappeared.
Experts say it's key to talk with your teen about what they should and shouldn't share, even if they *think* it's private.
You might not have heard of Snapchat, but your teenager has. We found it's how teens are choosing to communicate, but it doesn't come without some hidden dangers.
"All my friends are doing it," says Little Rock Catholic High senior Jake Tlapek.
"Every single person that I know," agrees Madyson Harmon, a senior at Mount St. Mary Academy.
Tlapek and Harmon were among of group of seniors from Catholic High and the Mount to show us how simple it is to use. Just snap a picture or take a short video, set a timer, and send it to friends. Then it disappears in seconds.
Barth Onyekwelu said, "If it's an embarrassing picture, you can put like 2 seconds on it, and it disappears forever."
Or does it?
"Just because it says it's being deleted, doesn't mean that it is," says Stone Ward social media expert Emily Reeves.
"We're seeing about 50 million pictures shared through Snapchat every single day," she says.
Reeves warns the videos can be recovered from your phone's hard drive. And you can easily take a screenshot of the photos, as the teens showed us.
That spells trouble when users share more than they should.
Reeves says, "There are some that are using it for sexting and sending inappropriate pictures."
A search of Snapchat on social media turns up sexually explicit photos that were likely never meant for the public eye.
The teens we spoke with say their pictures are strictly PG, mostly silly faces. But they already know those photos could wind up on the web for the world to see.
"It hasn't happened to me personally, but I've seen it happen to other people," says Harmon. "It's just so humiliating."
The teens we spoke with are cautious about what they share, but admit there's a line that can easily be crossed.
"The more you Snapchat with someone, the more comfortable you feel sending them pictures of yourself, and it could go too far," says Audra Seachris.
So who's advising teens on the risks of Snapchat?
"I don't think my parents are aware of it, and I don't think a lot of adults are aware of it," says Tlapek.
Social media experts say it's your job to get familiar with Snapchat and talk with your child, pushing an important message. "If you don't want people to see it, or for it to live out there in the world forever, then don't share it," says Reeves.
Unlike with other social media apps, you can't log on to Snapchat and see what your child has been sharing, because those pictures and videos will have disappeared.
Experts say it's key to talk with your teen about what they should and shouldn't share, even if they *think* it's private.
