You have to enter your birth date to set up an account, but there's no age verification, so it's easy for kids under 13 to sign up. HOW OLD DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO USE SNAPCHAT?Īccording to the terms of service, users must be 13. Snapchat also offers group texting and group stories that everyone in the group can contribute to. Once you customize your snap, you can send it to anyone in your friends list or add it to your story, which is a record of the day that your friends can view for 24 hours. There are all sorts of photo-editing tools (you have to experiment to figure out what they do) as well as filters to adorn your images. To begin a conversation, you tap the big camera circle and take a snap. On Snapchat, photos-not text-usually start the communication. After that, things get a little confusing. You can also automatically add someone by taking a picture of their 'Snapcode,' a special QR code unique to each user. To add friends, you can upload your contacts or search for people you know. On Snapchat, users go by a handle, and Snapchatters gravitate toward silly names.

It's advertised as a 'new type of camera' because the essential function is to take a picture or video, add filters, lenses or other effects and share them with friends.Īll you need to sign up is your name, an email address and your birth date. Snapchat is a popular messaging app that lets users exchange pictures and videos (called snaps) that are meant to disappear after they're viewed. With your guidance on privacy, safety, social media pressure and marketing, though, Snapchat can be a fun way for teens to connect.

But other features pose some risks: Snap Map lets friends see each other's location on a map, which isn't always safe Snapstreaks requires kids to exchange messages for as long as possible, which is a major time-suck and Discover offers some age-inappropriate content. The app has a lighthearted design, and its photo filters and effects tend toward rainbows and flower crowns. And for the most part, that's what they use Snapchat for. Something about snapping, sharing and then forgetting about life's little moments has massive appeal for kids. In addition to letting you connect with and follow friends, Snapchat offers a lot more cool stuff: games, news and entertainment, quizzes and truly innovative photo- and video-editing tools (so innovative, in fact, it's nearly impossible for grown-ups to figure them out-another reason kids love it).

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