Hollywood stars, NASA, athletes and our teenagers are all on Snapchat, the trendy social network. The anonymity and ephemeral nature of the content make children feel safe and lower their guard. But is young people's new favourite social network really safe? Created by two American students in 2011, Snapchat is a social network available via a mobile app, with the unique feature of allowing users to share photos, videos and messages that can only be viewed for a maximum of ten seconds.
Snapchat users can send temporary photos or videos to one or more recipients, choosing the viewing time (between 1 and 10 seconds). They can also send temporary messages to a contact via a «space".« chat » or « messenger »Snapchat also allows its users to save photos or videos in their «Story». This content can be viewed by all contacts for 24 hours. This feature has been so successful that the social network Instagram has taken hold of it. But what appeals to young people are the photo filters. Whether humorous or simply aesthetic, Snapchat filters appear in augmented reality.
Discover our feature on the dangers and risks of social media
A social network that has become popular among young people
According to Bloomberg (June 2016), Snapchat has 150 million active users per day—more than the population of Russia—who post nearly 1 million «Stories». In France, 8 million people log on to the social network every day, with the vast majority under the age of 25. In the United States, 46.81% of 18-24 year olds were using Snapchat at the end of 2015, compared to only 16.51% using Facebook. Although no studies have yet been conducted on minors, digital experts estimate that they would significantly increase this rate if they were taken into account.
Today Snapchat has taken the lead in young people's favourite social networks ahead of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. It is particularly popular among young women, with more than six female users for every four male users. Children and teenagers enjoy this application because they like to cultivate their image throughselfies and beautifying filters, want to make people laugh with quirky and humorous photos that they share in their «story», but also show that they are « cool » and popular by sharing photos of their nights out or moments spent with friends. Teenagers also use Snapchat as a diary, allowing their contacts to know what they are doing at any time of the day. Among the advantages of Snapchat: it requires minimal effort to publish content, and it offers limited viewing time and anonymity.
What are the dangers on Snapchat?
Anonymity for its users, no age restrictions, ephemeral content: Snapchat seems to be the perfect social network for posting whatever you want without risk. Unfortunately, the danger is very real and the sense of security is misleading. Although the app does not allow content to be shared, it can be retrieved with a simple screenshot (screenshot), for example, and then widely shared on other social networks. Note: even though the social network promises that content will disappear («Snap»), users can view it again once per day. So, if you receive several «Snaps» during the day, you can open one of them twice. Furthermore, unlike traditional social networks, Snapchat does not have a policy on illegal content, which is why users feel they can act with impunity.
Last January, two teenagers posted a video on Snapchat showing them raping a young girl from Perpignan. Captured and widely shared on Facebook, the video went viral within hours. Alerted by internet users, the police arrested the two young boys.
Unfortunately, this case is far from isolated. Even if it is not directly implicated, according to Sophie Jehel, a sociologist interviewed by Madame Figaro, The unique features of Snapchat encourage its users to feel free to do whatever they want, sometimes posting uncontrolled illegal content. It is important to remember that any digital content is never completely lost, including on Snapchat, and can be disseminated anywhere on the internet.
For its part, the social network has not made any real changes to its new privacy policy and emphasises that, apart from «Live Stories», content is automatically deleted from the social network's servers.
Some tips for responsible use of Snapchat
1) The web magazine teenagers, reminds them that some content shared on Snapchat may be illegal and that they should therefore remain vigilant. Cyberbullying on Snapchat is common, but it is nevertheless a criminal offence. Simply sharing content without the prior consent of the individuals concerned is punishable by the law two years' imprisonment and a fine of €60,000.
2) It is clear that, since it is impossible for content to be completely ephemeral, we can only advise that not to disseminate compromising content for oneself and for one's friends.
3) The ease of publishing content is certainly an advantage, but it can also be a source of problems. Indeed, it is important to be careful when interpreting photos sent because, taken out of context, images can convey different meanings. Think about how the recipients of the photo or video will interpret the message you want to convey.
4) Consider who you are sending your snaps to. Although usually shared with friends, some photos or videos end up on Facebook or other similar social networks. It is important to think about which contacts you send your messages to, and if you choose to post them in your «Story», define who can see them. Go to the ghost icon at the top of your screen and then to «Options». This will allow you to choose who will have access to your «Story».
5) Secure your account to prevent hacking. Two-step authentication helps secure your Snapchat account and prevent malicious individuals from posting content on your behalf. This secure authentication first uses a password and then a 6-digit code obtained via SMS. If your account logs in on another device or in another geographical area, Snapchat will ask the user to authenticate twice.
