Not crazy about the way kids post their pictures online?
OR
Maybe you don't mind that your daughter and all of her friends Facebook every shot of themselves
several times a day?
several times a day?
Either way, I've been reading that Instagram (owned by Facebook) is probably your teens
next favorite social media tool (if it's not already).
Should you be concerned?
Get the skinny on the newest and most popular photo sharing tool:
Because Instagram cares - they have 'parent tools/tips'.
But don't expect to get access to anything, delete your child's account or find out their password via the Instagram helpdesk, (there are privacy laws you know- Yes, even for 13 year olds, the age they are allowed to sign up for an Instagram account).
Want a little more info? I signed up for my own account before I wrote this (so I would know what I was talking about) and I found it to be quite plain actually... compared to Picasa, iPhoto, etc., it wasn't all that exciting to me. But I was only taking pictures of an Orchid and some dishes that were hanging on the wall...
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Black and white but it's real name is 'Inkwell'. |
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'Lo-fi' |
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'Kelvin' |
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This one was '1977' and actually, I thought they all had the potential to look 70's-ish. |
So, I suppose the bottom line on this Instagram thing is that teens like it because their photos can go viral in a heartbeat since they can share them instantly via: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flicker -A.S.A.P...
WHAT DO MOST TEENS WANT?
TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION, MEET PEOPLE, SEEM POPULAR,
CONNECT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD AND HAVE FUN...
Instagram can be a good OR a bad way to achieve these...
See this News Footage
I looked around and found some teen users who only had posted clothed photos and no sexual content, but they still attracted tons (169 comments) of male and females looking to make a sexual connection. She couldn't have been older than 14.
You decide:
OR
And me? I like it because it makes cool blog pictures.
Want Instagram for yourself?.. click here.
One more thing:
Why Someone's Instagram Should Be Private
Okay, maybe two things:
Anyone with an Instagram account can contact your teen if they publicly post their photos...
and especially if someone is looking for photos 'tagged' with #teen.
That also means someone can tell your daughter 'you have pretty eyes' or that 'she's hot' or your daughter can see photos you might not want her to.
They can be stalked by pedophiles, solicited by scam artists and more.
The keys?
Education and Monitoring