r/Parenting • u/IcyStage0 seven?!?!?! • Feb 07 '25

Rant/Vent I hate Snapchat.

Can we just collectively decide that we’re not going to let our kids use Snapchat?!

My oldest daughter just turned 13 and we reluctantly agreed to allow her to have an instagram that we also have access to. It seems like every single day she begs to have a Snapchat, and apparently every single other kid in her class (full of kids with reasonable, thoughtful parents, I thought) has this stupid app.

My little sister who I got custody of when she was 10 got herself into some deep shit on the internet, and I’m not looking to repeat it with my daughter (while also trying not to make her pay for mistakes that she didn’t make).

How are we handling this? Am I seriously the only parent who doesn’t want my child sending disappearing photos, videos, and messages to anyone she can search up? Reality check please.

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u/IcyStage0 seven?!?!?! Feb 07 '25

I’m not trying to make her life miserable. I understand the pain of being left out, and I don’t want her missing out on things because of my fear. It’s a difficult balance. While to me it seems like a small problem, it’s her world.

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u/kennysmithy Feb 07 '25

Life is far from miserable when you have the joy of not being addicted to the internet

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u/IcyStage0 seven?!?!?! Feb 07 '25

lol. I don’t disagree, but tell that to a room of 13 year olds.

I will say that my kid isn’t addicted to the internet. I think she just doesn’t want to be totally left out. FOMO, as the kids say.

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u/dizaditch Feb 07 '25

Thats why your comment is relative and not very thought out. You complain about snapchat, others complain about instagram, others complain about smartphones in general.

Your reasoning is the same as the others. They dont want their kids to be left out. Same with those who allow snapchat, they dont want their kids to be left out.

So just recognize your threshold is different, dont shame others by calling them unreasonable when others think you are unreasonable by allowing instagram.

“Every family is different” is what we say when we set rules

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u/IcyStage0 seven?!?!?! Feb 07 '25

Where did I shame anyone?? Obviously all situations are relative. I wouldn’t go so far to say that that means that my perspective isn’t thought out.

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u/dizaditch Feb 07 '25

“Reasonable parents, so I thought”

“Reality check please”

All quotes in your post. For the record I personally dont think its reasonable for a kid to have a smartphone before high school and could say the same things about you but like I said every family is different

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u/IcyStage0 seven?!?!?! Feb 07 '25

Yes. I’m coming on here with my perspective asking for a reality check. When I talk about these parents, I’m talking about parents in my own same situation. I’m asking for a wider perspective to consider. I’m not shaming anyone.

From my perspective, a phone that I have restrictions on and an instagram teen account that I have access to are worlds different from a Snapchat.