What is Instagram?
Instagram launched ago a little over five years and currently has over 400 million users worldwide, the company said. It started as a photo sharing application, but has since grown to include videos and a private messaging feature as well. Here's how it works: Users upload photos or videos from their smartphones and publish their profile for anyone who "follows" see. If a user does not choose to make their profile private, anyone who has an account with the app can see what they share on the platform by searching for their username or hashtag they attach to a photo.
Unlike Snapchat, the app is available on more than iOS and Android devices. It can also be used on Windows phones and has a limited web version available, which does not allow users to post anything, but they can still log in and see what their supporters displayed. It also means that anyone with an Instagram account can see what your child is viewing (if their account is public). It should be noted that the public accounts can also be found using a search engine -. Which means that if someone searches the name of your child and "Instagram" they can find the account
Is there reason to be concerned about my children using Instagram
Like mentioned earlier, public Instagram accounts can essentially be viewed by anyone with an Internet-enabled device ?; you should have an Instagram account to see what others publish. This could cause some anxiety for parents, especially those with younger children who are not fully aware of the way their public Instagram photos and videos are.
In addition, the functionality of the messaging applications may also be a source of concern for parents. Just like direct messaging options of Twitter, Instagram when first unrolled this function, it only allowed users to send and receive messages of mutual followers - you and the user should follow the other to send or receive messages . Now, however, everyone can send a direct message to any user - regardless of whether they follow them back or not. As such, parents have no control over that attempts to communicate with their child.
Another aspect that parents should take note of Instagram's terms of use, which states that "Instagram you grant a non-exclusive worldwide license, fully paid, transferable, sub-licensable free license to use the content that you post on or through the service ... including but not limited to Articles 3 ( "information Sharing"), 4 ( "How we your information"), and 5 ( "your choices about your information"). "this essentially means Instagram has the right to use or share what you publish on the application. By simply downloading the app and create an account, you must accept these Terms of Use, you can read in full here.
How can I ensure that my children are safe being on Instagram?
Because Instagram will offer users the possibility of private profiles, you must ensure that your child has this feature enabled. Although there is no way to keep anything online completely private these days, this can be a useful protection to keep the profile of your child away unwanted eyes. To do this, log into your child's profile using their smartphone and click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner - this will take you to the Options page. From there, you click on the toggle button to private account side (as shown in photo below), select OK and you're all set.
In addition, you should also talk with your children about the importance of keeping their just photos and videos between friends and people they know in real life . Let them know they can speak to you about an alien must try to contact or track using any platform of social media (not only Instagram). Keep an open line of communication regarding social media is a great way to let your child know that you are there to help in these situations.
Looking for an additional level of oversight? Parental control software can be a great help, especially the Net Nanny software. Its standard parental control license only monitors Facebook, but the add-on, Social Net Nanny monitors list of friends / followers, photos and messages from your child on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google+ and LinkedIn. With Social Net Nanny, parents can keep track of activity on all these platforms at all times - even when their child is absent from school - as it also monitors these networks on a variety of access points Internet, including 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, home network and connections to hotspots. Read our review of Net Nanny for more on the first order of software.
Also, follow our blog parental control for more tips on how you can protect your children against cyberbullying and other online threats.