ConnectSafely Releases Parents' Guides to Instagram and Snapchat

Guides demystify popular photo-sharing apps and walk kids and parents through safety and privacy features

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ConnectSafely

May 21, 2013, 10:17 ET

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ConnectSafely, a leading Internet safety nonprofit, today announced the publication of two new and timely parents' guides to Instagram and Snapchat, answering the Top 5 questions parents have about these photo-sharing apps so popular with kids, including:

  • Why kids love these apps
  • What the risks of each app are
  • How to help kids stay safe using the apps
  • How to report abuse and block problem users
  • How to use privacy settings

Written by ConnectSafely co-directors Larry Magid and Anne Collier, A Parents' Guide to Instagram and A Parents' Guide to Snapchat cut through the sometimes scary media hype to provide parents with the clarity they need to talk with their kids about optimizing the apps for safety, privacy and reputation protection. They address the apps' minimum age, how to manage a profile (in Instagram), and how Snapchat photos actually can last more than 10 seconds.

"It's important for parents, educators and policy makers to understand how these apps work and how kids are using them," said ConnectSafely co-director Larry Magid. "Our main goal is to encourage parents to have a conversation with their kids about how they use these services," said co-director Anne Collier.

The guides, which join ConnectSafely's A Parents' Guide to Facebook and A Parents' Guide to Google+, are available at www.ConnectSafely.org/guides and feature illustrated instructions for using the apps and important pointers for parents on kids' safety, privacy, and reputation protection.

ConnectSafely today also debuted its redesigned website, complete with new content, including downloadable and printable tips on subjects such as cyberbullying and sexting and the latest news and commentary on Internet safety and citizenship.

About ConnectSafely
ConnectSafely.org is a non-profit organization with resources for parents, teens, educators, advocates, policy makers – everyone engaged in and interested in the impact of the social Web. Find us at ConnectSafely.org, Twitter.com/ConnectSafely and Facebook.com/ConnectSafely.

SOURCE ConnectSafely