Should kids be on instagram, tic tok and snapchat before they are 13?

Kids all over the world are having more and more access to devices at a younger age. This means that they are more likely to install social media apps such as instagram or snapchat. These are all the reasons why I don’t think they should be on these apps before they are 13. Do you agree?

Instagram is a great way to message friends, share photos of yourself and browse through others' photos. But is that all that the kids see? Most users just post nice photos of themselves, friends and family. But not all users do that. Some of the things that are posted are inappropriate or pointedly rude. Especially now that Tik tok is becoming more and more popular some of the dance’s are very inappropriate, when people post their dances on instagram loads of people see them. In fact more than 5 million people use instagram and 8.95 million photos and videos get posted on instagram each day. If you are not 13 or older do not use instagram, snapchat or Tik tok and then when you are, talk about it with your parents first.

As I said before, lots of users are perfectly fine but some you need to be more careful around. Some people might take special interest in you and what you post. They might like everything on your page, watch your live videos and text you questions about yourself. If there is someone that's doing this to you, you need to take action. First of all make sure your account is private. This ensures that they can't access you or your posts. Try not to share personal information. Then you can go through your followers and if they are in that list you can remove them. Now they can’t see your posts at all. If they do keep trying to follow you, you can block them so there is absolutely now way they can see you. Remember to talk with your parents about the stalker though so they know what's going on.

One of the other things that can be bad on any social media advice is cyberbullying. Someone can text or email you mean and offensive stuff that makes you sink inside. They could talk about you, your actions, body, looks or really anything. The first thing you do if you talk to someone about what's going on. Sometimes it might be hard but it will take the pressure of you if you have someone to confide in. Together you can decide what to do, whether to block the person, report them or repel.

This is another reason that you should be 13 to have these apps. Younger people might deal with these things in a different way and take it more peronaly.

I hope you realize that the internet is a dangerous place for kids. Make sure they know how to deal with inappropriate stuff, cyberbullying and stalkers before they get the app. Rember, always talk to your parents or caregivers about anything, it's better to get through these kinds of things together. You want your kids to be safe online right?

Written by Clara