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Is Instagram Safe for Kids: A Guide for Concerned Parents

Very popular among teens, Instagram is a favorite photo sharing app for young people. But Is Instagram Safe for Kids? Find out in this guide for parents.

On average, 70 million photos are shared on Instagram per day.

With that level of sharing power and an active user base of more than 300 million, parents shouldn’t be surprised that their children and teens want in on the action.

Parents should expect that sooner or later their child will want to create a profile on the extremely popular photo-sharing app — if they aren’t on it already.

To help parents prepare, we have compiled a list of everything parents need to know before their child joins Instagram.

Is Instagram Safe for Kids?

Not exactly. And not without parental supervision and a good dose of discussion with your children.

As with most social media sites, Instagram includes hazards that come with a community primarily created by its users.

Users can have a negative, harmful, or dangerous experience as they may:

  • see racy photos
  • see nude photos (while not allowed, they frequently slip through and can be found via search)
  • receive too much exposure after sharing a photo
  • be easy to locate when they post photos with geo tagging (tags that show your location)
  • witness or experience bullying from other users
  • receive unwanted solicitations from strangers

Instagram can be a safe and fun app for teens if they know the best practices for keeping themselves out of harm’s way.

At What Age Can Kids Join Instagram?

According to policy, a person must be at least 13 years of age to join Instagram.

While there are many users under 13 who create accounts, Instagram is doing what it can to shut this down.

The app, owned by Facebook, has been known to shut down accounts by users they believe are not 13. One mom explained how she allowed her 11-year-old son to set up an account before realizing that it was in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which restricts websites to collect information from children under the age of 13.

Instagram notified him that his account was disabled until he could upload a picture of a government-issued ID to prove his age.

Are Profiles Public?

Yes and no.

By default, Instagram profiles are public. Many teens like their profiles to be public because they want to get a high number of followers. Users can set their profiles to private which allows only users that accept or “follow” to see their photos.

How Can I Protect My Child?

Understand the site yourself. Instagram provides an excellent resource of tips for parents.

Tell your teen set their profile to private. Teach your child how to responsibly control their visibility.

Teach your teen how to unfollow, block, and report users. Unfollowing a user means that you will no longer view posts from that user in your feed. Blocking a user means that the user can no longer search for or see your account. People aren’t notified when they are blocked. Reporting a user notifies Instagram that a user is violating their policies.

Explain when they should unfollow, block, or report a user. Review appropriate and inappropriate uses of Instagram with your teen so they know when they should unfollow or block another user and even notify an adult or report an account.

Review your teen’s postings. The only way to really know what your teen is doing on Instagram is to see it for yourself. While Instagram doesn’t offer a way for parents to review their child’s account, MamaBear does.

Related Post: The Hurtful Side of Social Media: Horrific Threats Via Instagram

With the MamaBear, the app for Peace of Mind Parenting™, parents can plug their teen’s Instagram login information into the app. Then parents will get notifications sent to their phone anytime their child uploads a new photo, gets a new follower, or uses inappropriate or flagged words.

This is an easy way to allow your child to enjoy the fun of Instagram while ensuring their safety. The free MamaBear app has versions for both parent and child and is available for both iPhone and Android devices.

 

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MamaBear is Honoring Moms in May

In honor of Mother's Day, we're offering the gift of safety by giving the premium version of MamaBear App to all new families who register during the month of May.

We couldn’t think of a better way to say Happy Mother’s Day than to offer the gift of safety by giving the premium version of MamaBear App to all new families who register during the month of May.  In fact, we’re giving new May users premium access the rest of the year . . . that’s a $40 value.

 mamabear-mothers-day-offer

It’s this simple:

  1. Install MamaBear from Google Play or iTunes.
  2. Complete a new account registration anytime May 1 – 31.
  3. Under subscription in the settings area, you’ll see your premium expiration date as December 31, 2015.

Parenting in this new digital and social age can be challenging to say the least. A good parent is an informed parent, and the MamaBear app has your back.  You can actually breathe a sigh of relief when your child’s head is down in a device.

Free premium access unlocks all of the features available in an advertising free interface. Features like viewing an unlimited number of photos your child liked on Instagram, scrolling through the profiles of your child’s Instagram and twitter connections and a week long historic view of your child’s location patterns.

MamaBear is a family communication tool that not only allows you to protect your child on social media, but allows messaging among all family members in a private and secure setting along with a shared family map. MamaBear was recently featured as a “top app for parents” on the Steve Harvey Show and Telemundo’s Un Nueva Dia, and was called one of the “World’s Most Promising New Companies” by CNBC.

The MamaBear complete features set monitors Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr, offers location sharing and custom safe and restricted place notifications for your children or other family members as well as the ability to set driving speed alerts for your new teen drivers during the most dangerous driving time in their life – their first 1,000 hours behind the wheel.

Moms have the world’s toughest job, so we want to say Thank You!

Please accept our gift and stay in touch as you get comfortable using MamaBear.

Install and register your premium subscription for free on Android devices from the Google Play store and in the iTunes store for Apple devices.

Please like MamaBear App on Facebook.

 

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The Hurtful Side of Social Media: Horrific Threats Via Instagram for One Teen

instagram safety for kids

The students of Lone Hill Middle School are having to face the cruel, unsettling and for most, unexpected side of social media. Their classmate, an unidentified girl, received startling and horrific death threats via Instagram. While police and school officials are doing everything possible to find the person behind these anonymous threats, parents are left wondering how they can protect their own children from the ugly aspects of social media.

How Many Tweens/Teens Use Social Media?

An article on Edudemic gives these startling stats:

  • 95% of teens ages 12-19 use the Internet
  • 81% have social media accounts, 50% of those have public profile information that can be seen by anyone on the Internet
  • 50% login to their social media accounts more than once per day, many 10 times a day or more
  • 21% of kids under 13 use social media sites
  • 23% of tween girls reported that Instagram was their favorite app

As a Parent, Here is What You Should Know

Ignorance of technology and social media is no longer an option for parents.  According to Nicole Nishada, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, “When the conflicts expand to social media, parents are often unaware of the communication occurring silently on cell phones and computers.”

The sheriff’s office involved in this incident has been very clear that the authorities take this type of threat very seriously and there will be consequences when the person behind the threats is caught. Cyberbullying affects both the victim, who will carry emotional scars, and the bully, who if caught, can face severe legal action, or financial consequences.

With serious consequences associated on both sides of the cyberbullying epidemic, it is critical for parents to take an active role and speak with their children about this topic.  Children should know that there are options when they are the victim of cyberbullying and they should also know the negative consequences of being a cyberbully.

As parents, we sometimes go by the old adage “no news is good news,” but our children, who may be afraid to speak up or who think they can handle the situation on their own, are struggling silently.

What Can You Do To Help Your Children

A lot. Social media is a privilege, not a necessity and parents have every right to closely monitor their child’s Internet usage, including social media accounts. Children have grown up with technology, are tech savvy and may know how to keep their parents from seeing their online activity. Insist on having the passwords to your child’s accounts and monitor them daily, asking questions if you see something suspicious or unsettling. Parents can also help their children avoid this type of harassment by keeping an open line of communication.

This Is What MamaBear Was Created For

MamaBear, The Ultimate Parenting App™ closely monitors your child’s popular social media accounts all in one convenient newsfeed, including what they are posting, tweets and pictures, and also what is being said back to them through comments, messages or any other means of communication.

The app, available on iPhone and Android devices, will alert you to any signs of bullying creating the opportunity for you to open up a line of communication and extract information from your kids. The MamaBear app also offers a private communication portal so you and your family can share messages and stay on top of any situation.  Your kids do not have to be a victim to cyberbullying.  Use MamaBear and be aware and informed before your child has a problem!

 

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Find out how talking to your kids about shaping and managing their digital reputation may impact their ability to get into college.Table Talk Discussion: How To Talk to Your Kids About Their Digital Reputation

 

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Table Talk Discussion: How To Talk to Your Kids About Their Digital Reputation

Find out how talking to your kids about shaping and managing their digital reputation may impact their ability to get into college.

Your child’s digital reputation is more important now than ever as it may affect their ability to hold a job, play on a team, and even get into college.

Here are a few important talking points to review with your preteen and teen as you discuss the impact their digital reputation can have on the rest of their lives.

Your Digital Reputation Starts Now

A “digital reputation” is the image you project and content you create online. It  is shaped by what  you post and the way you act online. It also includes what others post about you and all of the  information that can be found about you through search. It is your “personal brand” online, and may be the only impression someone has about you if they don’t know you personally.

In the current landscape of technology and social media, the digital footprint of your online life starts early, and, more importantly, stories, photos and other online information about you, can last forever.

It is never too early to start thinking about, and actively managing, your digital reputation, or your child’s,  as it will  shape how people perceive you, both online and offline, and can directly impact your personal life as well as your professional life. or in the case of children, their school and young social life.

Your Digital Reputation Can Get You Kicked Off a Team or Fired From a Job

Many preteens and teens think only their friends are reading the content they post on social media. They may be surprised to learn that their, teacher,  bosses, coaches and their friends parents are watching too.

A baseball player at Bloomsburg University learned that the hard way when he posted an offensive tweet about female Little League World Series pitcher Mo’ne Davis.

His coaches and the school noticed his tweet and dismissed the college sophomore from his team.

One tweet changed the course of this player’s entire collegiate experience. He later said, “An example that one stupid tweet can ruin someone’s life and I couldn’t be more sorry about my actions last night.”

Your Digital Reputation Can Impact Your Ability to Get Into College

Preteens and teens need to think about the wide audience that can see what they post online and remember that audience includes people they don’t know and may need to have a favorable impression of you in the future.

In some cases, college admissions professionals are researching applicants online and using what they find online to judge students and decide if they would be a good representation of the college.

According to a Kaplan study, 12% of college admission applicants were rejected because of what admissions counselors saw on social media. Imagine your child working hard to get the grades and scores to apply to great colleges only to be denied because of some errant posts or photos on their social media pages.

What Will Make Your Digital Reputation Look Bad

Colleges, businesses, and teams don’t want to form relationships with individuals who have a bad reputation online. A few ways to build a bad reputation include the following behaviors.

  • No Filter on posts or tweets: saying anything and everything that is on your  mind
  • Bragging: gloating, bragging or appearing very self-focused
  • Negative Chat: using social media as a place to vent frustrations and show anger
  • Bullying: saying hurtful or mean comments about others
  • Questionable Photos: each photo is part of an online reputation, even if meant in fun
  • Bad Language: obviously, swearing or discriminatory language should not be used online

How To Make Your Digital Reputation Look Good

On the other side, colleges, businesses, and teams do want to form relationships with individuals that can maintain a professional and positive position on social media through the following habits.

  • Be Mindful of Who Is Listening and Searching About You (It’s Everyone): A good rule of thumb is to not post anything that you wouldn’t want to be published on the front page of a newspaper.
  • Use Your Privacy Settings: If you want to share personal photos with close family and friends, be vigilant about setting your privacy settings. But know that anything you post online, even private things, can be shared.
  • Monitor What Others Post About You: Keep an eye on the photos and posts that you are tagged in. You are responsible for monitoring the photos and posts that relate to you.

A parent’s job doesn’t end after talking to their kids about their digital reputation.

Managing an online reputation is a big job, and kids need continual guidance as they learn the boundaries of social media etiquette and conduct. Parents should remain involved in their children’s social media world by monitoring their accounts and directing their behavior toward appropriate and productive habits that will help them, not hinder them in the future.

Parents can easily stay connected using the free iPhone and Android app MamaBear, The Ultimate Parenting App™ which easily syncs a child’s social media stream with their parent’s account and allows parents to see and help manage what is on their social media, even what others post about them.

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