You have to be at least 13 years old to have a Snapchat account. As a parent, if you’ve allowed your child to lie about their age, you should make sure they are mature enough to use the app in prosocial and positive way, and wise enough to respond appropriately if someone uses an image or video they sent against them.

Nobody thinks that their own child is saying unkind things to other children, do they? We let them go on social media sites and trust them to use it appropriately. 

Our staff are spending more and more time each week dealing with issues of social media, usually Snapchat. Children are crying, parents are emailing and ringing school.  It’s taking up a lot of time that should be spent more productively on children’s education.

We therefore ask that you make sure to explain to them what behaviour is inappropriate and harmful, and to supervise their accounts. Make clear the distinction between uploading and sharing content because it's funny or might get lots of 'likes', versus the potential to cause offence or hurt. Tell them: this is serious. It's vital they understand that bullying others online is unacceptable behaviour. As well as potentially losing friends, it could get them into trouble with school or the police.

Please click on the link a Parent’s Guide to Snapchat, which is also worth exploring for more information.

Thank you.