Parents who want to be aware of the things that their kids are doing seem to think that they have everything under control because they are aware of how kids are using Facebook in modern times. The truth is that Facebook is no longer the hottest trend for teens. The latest craze comes from the use of the application called Instagram and while it seems at first sight that this is only a simple and practical way to share photos with your friends, there is actually a lot more to it than that.

It’s like an extension of Facebook

Facebook actually bought Instagram for 1 billion dollars and the truth is that this application is basically like a training course for kids to introduce them to social media networking. The way it works is that it allows people to share photos and they can also like, comment and check out what their contacts are doing at the same time. The most impressive thing about Instagram is that many kids said they don’t even care much about Facebook anymore since Instagram gives them everything they want and need.

Instagram is incredibly fast

The process of sharing a photo on Instagram is way faster than what you would have to do to share it on a regular social media site such as Facebook. With Instagram you can take a photo on your phone and immediately have it send and published on your Instagram account. All you have to do with a photo you like is give it a double tap and you have given it a like just like that. This is the kind of extreme accessibility that attracts people so much to this network.

Even the most private settings will still reveal personal information

With two privacy settings for this application it has become very obvious than even if you chose the highest setting of privacy you will still leave a lot of personal information vulnerable. Everyone will be able to see the contents of your bio and there are many creepy people out there who could be stalking your children. We have all heard about these kids who are stalked and then even tracked down to their very homes by their stalkers. You need to make sure your child is being safe about their use of Instagram and how much information they are sharing on their bio.

Real friends or online friends

There is a very big difference between being friends with someone that you have known for decades in real life and being friends with someone that you have only known from online interaction. This is even more dangerous when your kids stat adding just about anyone to their Instagram list just for the sake of getting a larger list of friends because this makes them feel special. Make sure that they understand the dangers associated with doing this.

Instagram is very addictive

Instagram has become addictive to a lot of people and there are kids who will spend hours every day just browsing through photos and commenting on photos that they like. This is something that can really start to have a negative effect on their life outside of their phone and you should keep a close eye on this kind of behavior.

What you need to do

You should remember that Instagram is simply another method for your kids to get in trouble and waste time. No social media network should be blamed for your children getting in trouble or getting bad grades for wasting too much time browsing photos. The true problem comes from not monitoring what your kids are up to and not being able to help them understand the consequences of their actions.