Snap, Click, Send. Here’s What You Need To Know About Snapchat

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Yalobusha County deputies say the two Water Valley teachers used text messages to communicate with the student involved in this case.

They also believe social media apps were another source of communication between the teachers and student.

Snapchat is one company that has been served a search warrant by investigators.

Deputies believe there could be messages stored on their servers.

Snapchat is a way to communicate through pictures, videos, and messages.

It’s a popular app for teens and people between the ages of 18- 24.

Snaps go out of sight once users click send.

Although they disappear from the phone, they never leave the digital world.

“What’s the biggest app that ya’ll use?” Asks WCBI.

“Definitely Snapchat.” Says Snapchat user, Micaela Hudgins.

Ya’ll, as in millennials. Studies show that 71% of users are under the age of 35.

This teen has around 200 Snapchat friends and says she snaps more than anything else.

“It’s easier to do. You can just take a picture and send it. With texting, you have to like write out what you want to say and you can just send a picture, like smiling, like anything,” says Hudgins.

Snap. Click. Send.

Once you send the snap, you can’t see it again.

Computer Science and Engineering Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Sarah Lee says most Snapchatters think once the snap is sent, it’s gone forever.

But in reality, nothing from the digital world disappears.

That’s why it’s important for parents to educate their kids about safe online behavior.

“A twelve year old may not realize it, but one day they’re likely going to be applying to get into college or applying for a job and I know from experience that employers look online to see what they can find out about you,” says Dr. Lee.

New Hope High School Counselor Billy Ray Lee says most students send or post things on social media before they realize the consequences of what they are sending and its impacts.

That’s why educators try to get students to think before they type.

“You say things on social media sometimes that you don’t think about what the outcome is going to be down the road. You don’t look at what this will cause and we try to tell our kids, who is it going to effect? How is it going to effect them and is it true? Don’t put things out that you don’t know is a fact,” says Lee.

The counselor also says it’s important for students to know who they’re friends with on social media and many teens agree.

“Just make sure you’re Snapchatting with someone you know and you can trust and don’t send them anything you wouldn’t want your parents to see,” says Hudgins.

Most social media accounts are easy for parents to monitor, but Snapchat is different.

“There’s nothing to stop people from just doing a screenshot of something that you Snapchat them, so I don’t know of any software that allows you to just monitor that application,” says Dr. Lee.

Although you can’t monitor Snapchat as well as other social media accounts, Dr. Lee says there is monitoring software available for parents to monitor their children’s’ phone activity.