Kids these days are highly active on Snapchat, a social networking app, to connect with their friends and new people. 

However, is it safe for kids to use Snapchat? Snapchat is not bad in itself. But as a parent, you can’t see what they are sending. So you won’t have any idea whether your son or daughter is involved in sexting or not.

Sharing or sending nude or partially nude photos is alarmingly common among many teens. The report shows that a total of 39% of parents worry their child may get into sexting in the future.

If you belong to one of those worried parents, don’t worry. Here in this post, we’ll explain how to know if your children are sexting on Snapchat, including things that many parents need to know to prevent their kids from sexting.

Things Parents Should Know about Snapchat

Snapchat messaging app is famous among teenagers for sharing pictures, sending snaps, accessing snap maps, making streaks, self-destructive or disappearing messages, and many more. It’s a fun platform to socialize with all kinds of people and click amazing pictures adding hundreds of photo filters.

However, every good thing has a downside, and Snapchat is no exception.

Snapchat’s disappearing messages vanish a few quick seconds after you see them. Although this feature is great for privacy and preventing others from having a copy of images you send, it’s also the main reason kids find Snapchat as a go-to sexting app. 

Kids can sext without worrying about getting caught since the sexually suggestive snaps of photos and videos will disappear instantly. So, they find it the safest app for sharing explicit messages.

Why is sexting on Snapchat unsafe for children?

The Snapchat app itself isn’t unsafe, but sexting on the app can create problems for children who are unaware of the consequences of sending sexually suggestive messages. 

People with negative intentions can use screen recording applications, take screenshots of the snaps or chat conversations and save images/videos.

Even though Snapchat sends notifications to the sender when another user saves pictures or takes screenshots, it can’t stop them from doing so. They can forward those images to other users or blackmail you. 

Further, some users use another phone to take screenshots of pictures and record videos. In this way, if your children do sexts, hackers or online predators can use them in a negative way.

Moreover, blackmailing and bullying by others can have a negative impact on your child’s mental health. There is a risk of social isolation, anxiety, and depression. After being exposed that they had been involved in sexting, kids might attempt suicide.

How to know if children are sexting on Snapchat?

If you are reading this, it means you are having doubts about your kid or are just being extra cautious. As a responsible parent, you want to ensure your children are safe online while using Snapchat. You can do a few things to determine if your kid is involved in Snapchat sexting or not.

1. Talk to your son/daughter

First, as good parents, you can directly talk to your children and ask them if they are using Snapchat and if they are sending or receiving any nude photos or video clips. If they are, you can discuss the dangers of Snapchat sexting and why they should not be doing it.

2. Check your child’s mobile

Another way to find out if your children are sexting on Snapchat is to check their Snapchat accounts yourself. If you see any images or videos saved on Snapchat that are sexually suggestive, you can talk to your children about why they are storing such content.

Note that you can’t know if they are sending sexts by checking their messages since the message disappears automatically. You can only check the snaps they are receiving and see if anyone is sending them sexually suggestive photos or videos.

3. Install a parental control app

Since the urge to exchange sext messages is common in children with changing hormones, they use any social networking apps(like Snapchat) they find to satisfy themselves.

That’s why you must monitor your child’s social networking account. To monitor your children’s Snapchat accounts along with other phone activities, you can install parental control software on your children’s phones.

It is not possible to have their phone every time to check whom they are texting through their phone. But with parental control applications, you can keep track of them 24/7 remotely.

The best parental control application, such as MobileSpy, gives you the ability to track mobile activities, including social media monitoring, text messages monitoring, call records, history checking, and so on.

How to use MobileSpy to find out if your children are sexting on Snapchat?

You don’t need to be tech-savvy to use the MobileSpy application. Simply go through the following steps to use the Snapchat spy application, MobileSpy, to remotely spy on your kid’s online activities. It will help you determine if your children are sexting on Snapchat or not.

1. Sign Up on MobileSpy

Create an account in MobileSpy.io with a valid email address.

2. Download and Install the app

Download the MobileSpy application on Android phones and iOS devices to add your child’s device to the dashboard.

3. Start Spying on Snapchat

On the left side of the dashboard, scroll down the menu and click on Social Media. Then click on Snapchat. Now you can finally track your child’s Snapchat messages.

📖 Read More: How to Hack Snapchat? 

Is teen sexting illegal?

Undoubtedly, Yes. Teen sexting is an illegal activity. But different nations have different laws regarding this.

Some countries allow sexting if there are contents of both partners doing this.

Sexting is a widespread issue. The consequences of sexting are severe and can be life-changing. It is imperative that parents become familiar with this phenomenon and understand the legal consequences. 

Explicit images of children aged under 18 are still illegal, even with consent. Many countries need child pornography. 

When and why do teens engage in Snapchat sexting?

Several reasons may lead people to share sexually explicit pictures or videos online.

1. The main reason is to initiate the relationship or to make it romantic. When the partner is far from the other and wants to get romantic, they choose to sext.
2. Furthermore, teens who are dating or are in the process of dating sext their partners to show they love and trust them. Sometimes they sext to flirt with the opponent’s sex.
3. Another reason is that teens consider sexting as “Safe Sex.” Neither you get pregnant nor can you suffer from STDs, so Snapchat sexting is famous. 
4. Unlike the above reason, sometimes kids want to be in the spotlight, and posting nudes seems an easy way for them.
5. On the other hand, some post them to get attention.
6. Many teens talk with unknown people and start sexting because of peer pressure too.

Signs your teen might be sexting on Snapchat.

You might have the “NMK” virus in mind as a parent. NMK is the acronym for “Not My Kid.” 

Only a few parents can think that their teen can be like other kids who do sexting. 

But if you see, Bark’s 2020 annual report indicates that 70.9% of teens and 87.9% of tweens encountered nudity or sexual content.

 Pay attention to the following warning signs if you think your children are sexting. 

1. Friend changes

Observing flirty photos or language on your child’s social media accounts or seeing friends who behave in the same manner could indicate risky behaviors.

2. Change in sleeping pattern

Kids usually do sexts at night. Due to this reason, their sleeping pattern may get changed.

So, check their mobile activity if you find they prefer using the phone to oversleep.

3. Anger and defensiveness

Becoming angry or defensive when queried about secrecy is also one of the signs that your kids may be involved in sexting. Moreover, they understand the risks of sexting, so this can cause anger and defensiveness.

4. Increased secrecy

Your child starts to hide things from you and becomes protective of their cell phones. They always put their smartphones with them, and if someone takes your child’s phone away, they go to grab them. 

They insist on texting with friends from a private place or turn their back to read or send a text when someone comes near.

5. Grade changes

Your child may spend time on unnecessary stuff, which can cause a drop in their grades.

👉Check Out: How To Know If Someone Blocked You On Snapchat?

Things to do when you find your children sexting on Snapchat

For parents, it is stressful if their children are engaged in sexting. You need to take care of their every action. As a parent, if you want to keep your kids safe on Snapchat, take matters into your hand and teach them a lesson. Consider following the ways to stop your kid from sexting on Snapchat.

1. Educate your child

You can stop your children from sexting by educating the risk of sharing nudes online. 

Make sure your child knows that sexting under the age of 18 is considered child pornography.  Have a meaningful and deep conversation with your children. Educate them about online safety and its importance.

Otherwise, sexual predators harass your kids. To protect your kids from becoming victims of cyberbullying and harassment, stop them from talking with strangers. 

2. Don’t embarrass them.

When your children’s sexting publicly gets exposed in front of their parents, they feel embarrassed. The action of your children makes them feel ashamed. It might be depressing for your child if you judge them.

So, try to understand them and act carefully. Engage them in normal conversation to create a healthy environment.

3. Take away their phone.

After all this fuss, you should focus on removing phones from your kids’ lives for some time. Obviously, your children will hate your action and become upset.

They may request you to give them their phone back immediately. However, explain to them that at this point in time, it’s better for them not to have a phone.

Conclusion

Snapchat sexting is totally unpredictable and unacceptable for children. However, the nature of teens leads them to try new things, including sexting. So, parents with tweens and teens should take care of these potential dangers and handle the situation effectively to stop sexting and protect them. 

Communicate with your children or check their phones to know if they share inappropriate content on Snapchat. Besides that, you can use different parental control apps or Snapchat monitoring apps, such as MobileSpy, to monitor Snapchat and other online activities.