Instagram: An app for parents to keep up with their teens
-
Anne Collier Guest Blogger
I first heard about this little social-networking giant when my then-14-year-old suddenly seemed to be taking a serious interest in photography.
Since then, I鈥檝e come to see Instagram as more like the next Facebook than just another cellphone app (FB was smart to acquire it!). It鈥檚 almost game-like because it blends photography and socializing in a playful way, and only partly because of all the fun filter options that, with a single click, can almost make a snapshot look like art (then click again to undo and try another look).
RELATED: Top 5 bullying myths - What you don't know about bullying
Further adding to its appeal 鈥� and this is huge, now, especially for young people 鈥� is that it鈥檚 on their phones, making digital socializing much more accessible at school and everywhere else. Seems like pure genius to me (I鈥檝e had fun playing with it too).
According to fellow parent Michelle Meyers at听, Instagram is also a major workaround for kids under 13, 鈥渒ept off Facebook by their well-intended parents鈥� 鈥� even though they鈥檙e supposed to be 13 to use Instagram, too.听Their Instagram use is even more elusive because mobile (and now available to听听as well as iPhone, iPads, etc.). Though most of them probably have nothing to hide (my son and his girlfriend both followed me the minute I set up my account, seemingly delighted I did), parents can encourage them to turn on the privacy setting that lets them pre-approve 鈥渇ollow requests鈥� so that only their friends can follow them and see the photos they post 鈥� my ConnectSafely co-director Larry Magid shows you how to do that and take a couple other privacy precautions at his听.
As for the numbers, Michelle at CNET cites Nielsen data showing that Instagram is the No. 1 photo site among 12-to-17-year-olds, with 鈥�1 million teens visiting the site during July,鈥� beating out Flickr, the No. 1 photo site overall (鈥淣ielsen doesn鈥檛 categorize Instagram as a social network鈥� site). [See also "" and "."]
听海角大神 has assembled a diverse group of the best family and parenting bloggers out there. Our contributing and guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor, and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs.
