Instagram is one of the most popular apps among young people. Experiences are shared as stories, influencersshowwhat’s hot at the moment, users find out about a news feed or are simply entertained.
Instagram, or Insta for short, is more than just a picture platform. Above your own feed (accessible in the app via the house icon), you will find the latest stories and live streams from users you follow. These disappear again after 24 hours, but can also be saved by the person who posted the story on their own account as a so-called highlight. The feed also displays the newly posted photos and videos of the subscribed channels and people.
Users can find a wide variety of content on Insta: Posts by stars and starlets, about brands and products, current challenges and even personal profiles of friends. You can respond with likes and comments.
You can create and edit your own posts with filters, emojis, fonts, etc. directly in the app. In captions, your own content – i.e. photos and videos – can be assigned to topics with a hashtag. Under Instagram Reels (accessible below the feed via the video icon) you can find short videos in TikTok style.
The popularity of Instagram lies, among other things, in its focus on photos and videos. Various and easy-to-use tools help to get the best out of your own image. It is particularly appealing for young people to present themselves in the best light and test their effect on others. The app also makes it quick and easy to document and share the best moments with friends or family.
Children and young people are constantly finding new content about their idols on Instagram. They can follow what they are doing virtually around the clock, comment on pictures, like them, save them and forward them to other people. Insta is a great way to while away the time waiting for the bus or to keep an eye on what your crush from the next class is doing in his free time.
Influencers, stars and people with a creator account can create broadcast channels. With the help of an invitation link, users can join and invite other people. Children and young people find out even more about the (public) lives of their stars in the broadcast channels and receive news before people outside this channel.
At the end of 2023, Meta also launched the app in Germany Threads app in Germany. This is (closely) linked to Instagram.
The joint privacy policy of Facebook and Instagram, which all users agree to when registering, allows the sharing of user data with other services of the parent company Meta and with third parties. The app enables so-called crossposting. This means that a photo can also be posted on Facebook can be shared. If you have a Facebook account, you should check the settings carefully when publishing posts.
Instagram can determine the location of users via the posts they make. Privately set accounts prevent this. In addition, access to the location can be set both in the app and in the app permissions on your own smartphone and tablet. Then Instagram cannot see the location of public accounts either. However, a location can be added to each posted image manually afterwards.
Content on Instagram is subject to payment if children and young people not only follow an account, but also subscribe to it. The monthly price is set by the creators themselves and the subscription can usually be canceled on a monthly basis. Subscribers have access to exclusive content such as pictures, reels and stories. If you would like to subscribe to an account, you will find a “Subscribe” button next to “Follow”/”Followed” and “Messages” on the profile. A single click on this button does not yet lead to a subscription, but must first be confirmed with further clicks.
Certain content on Instagram can be problematic for young people: Inappropriate content such as erotic images, dangerous challenges and disinformation, but also advertising. Influencer business models play a special role here, which young people do not always recognize.
Instagram harbors various communication risks through functions such as chats and comments. For example, contact from strangers, hate speech or online bullying can occur.
The official minimum age for using Instagram is 13, but there is no effective age control so far. Until your child is 18 years old, you must consent to its use. There are extensive usage and setting options. If your child is under the age of 13, they can use Instagram if you manage the account. This must be included in the profile description. Accounts of children and young people under the age of 18 are automatically set to private after creation. However, this can be changed in the settings afterwards and the profile can be set to public. At Handysektor you can read a short version of the terms of use and download a flyer with the most important safety information about Instagram for young people.
Since June 2022, there has been “parental supervision”, which allows parents to link their account to that of their child. We present all the setting options in this article. You can find out how Instagram itself wants to make the app safer for young people directly on the Instagram website.
Together with your child, decide at what age and according to what rules he or she is allowed to use Instagram. Make various settings together so that your child can useInstagram as safely as possible. Not all photos have to be shared with everyone or even just with friends via the internet!
Talk to your child about communication risks on Instagram, from online bullying to cybergrooming. Show your child how they can block or report other users and explain to them when these functions are useful – for example, if someone insults your child in the comments. Your child should also not simply accept subscription requests from strangers and be sparing with their own data, such as their location.
Educate your child about risks such as harmful content, hate speech, disinformation and political opinion making. Talk to your child about the critical behavior of influencers and keep talking to them about one-sided role models and clichés. Stay interested and check in regularly to see who your child is following on Instagram and who is following them. It is important that your child knows that they can always talk to you if they have an unpleasant experience on the platform.
Snapchat ist ein kostenfreier Messenger zum Versenden von Fotos und kurzen Videos. Die Besonderheit: Das lustige Selfie mit den Hasenohren oder ähnliche Bilder „verschwinden“ nach kurzer Zeit vom Bildschirm des Empfängers.
Mit Snapchat können Fotos und kurze Videos als Nachricht oder als Story an Kontakte versendet werden. Diese Snaps, also Schnappschüsse, sind nur für bis zu 24 Stunden sichtbar und „zerstören“ sich danach selbst. Die Fotos und Videos können mit unzähligen Filtern bearbeitet werden. Mit der „Memorys-Funktion“ können Nutzerinnen bestimmte Inhalte abspeichern. Neben den privaten Storys von Freunden gibt es Inhalte von Stars und Marken. Über die Funktion „Spotlight” lassen sich außerdem kreative Kurzvideos im TikTok-Stil veröffentlichen. Userinnen können über sogenannte „Snap Codes“ sowie über ihre Handynummer gefunden werden, wenn dies in den Einstellungen aktiviert ist. Das eigene Profil enthält nur Bilder und Videos, andere persönliche Angaben werden nicht gemacht. Mit der Kartenfunktion „Snap Map“ kann man sehen, wo sich die eigenen Kontakte gerade aufhalten.
Wer Snapchat nutzt, ist seit Februar 2023 automatisch mit dem Chatbot My AI befreundet. Dahinter steckt eine künstliche Intelligenz, die Fragen beantwortet, chattet und insgesamt wie ein „echter“ Freund daherkommt. Für die Nutzerinnen kann das ein nettes Spielzeug sein – ist jedoch auch mit Vorsicht zu genießen. Löschen lässt sich der Chatbot nur sehr umständlich und mit einem kostenpflichtigen Snapchat+-Abonnement.
Snapchat+ bietet für 4,49 Euro/Monat die Premium-Version, dort testen die Anbieter noch nicht veröffentlichte Features. Besonders für Kinder und Jugendliche ist das reizvoll: Es gibt mehr Optionen, den eigenen Avatar (genannt „BitMoji“) zu gestalten, und mehr Informationen über Freundeskonstellationen als mit einem regulären Snapchat-Konto.
Die App gehört zu den beliebtesten Anwendungen bei Jugendlichen ab 13 Jahren. Teenager nutzen Snapchat sehr gern, um sich mit ihren Freundinnen auszutauschen. Dazu werden statt Text einfach Bilder und Videos versendet. Die Nutzung der Spaßfilter, Videos, die mit Musik unterlegt werden können, und selbst verschwindende Nachrichten machen den Reiz der App aus. Snapchat wirkt jugendlicher und verspielter als z. B. Instagram. Die Kommunikation erscheint Jugendlichen privater, da nur mit einzelnen oder in Gruppen Inhalte ausgetauscht werden. Auf der „Snap Map“ werden Personen als Avatare dargestellt, weshalb sie wie ein Spiel wirkt.
Alle Inhalte auf Snapchat zerstören sich nicht wirklich selbst, sondern sie lassen sich nach einer bestimmten Zeit nur nicht mehr aufrufen. Mit etwas technischem Know-how sind sie auf dem Gerät wiederherzustellen. Oder es wird einfach ein Screenshot gemacht – darüber wird der Versender des Bildes allerdings informiert. Trotzdem kann es problematisch werden, wenn Kinder und Jugendliche sehr persönliche – vielleicht sogar intime – Bilder und Videos von sich versenden und diese z. B. über Cybermobbing gegen sie verwendet werden. Durch die Vielzahl der versendeten Inhalte ist die Kontrolle darüber schwierig. Kinder und Jugendliche sollten daher genau wissen, wie sie die Melde- und Blockierfunktionen nutzen können. Das ist im Falle der unerwünschten Kontaktaufnahme besonders sinnvoll. Unter anderem deswegen ist auch die Funktion „Snap Map” kritisch zu sehen. Denn jedes Mal, wenn man Snapchat öffnet, wird auch die Snap Map aktualisiert. Und aus diesen Informationen lassen sich ziemlich viele Schlüsse ziehen wie Adresse, Schule oder Hobbys; auch von eher unbekannten Online-Freunden. Auch aus diesem Grund ist es wichtig, sich gut zu überlegen, wen man in den eigenen Kontakten aufnimmt.
Auch bestimmte Inhalte können für Jugendliche problematisch sein. Dazu zählen nicht altersgemäße Bilder ebenso wie unangemessene Werbung oder Snaps von Marken und Produkten.
Nutzende müssen sich an die Regeln der Plattform Snap halten. Die Nutzung von Snapchat ist Jugendlichen ab 13 Jahren nur mit der Erlaubnis ihrer Eltern gestattet. Es erfolgt allerdings keine technische Prüfung der Altersangabe.
Generell ist es verboten, nicht jugendfreie Inhalte, wie z. B. pornografische Bilder, zu verbreiten oder zu bewerben. Minderjährige dürfen keine Nacktbilder oder sexuell aufreizende Inhalte von sich posten oder versenden. Sicherheitsprobleme können innerhalb des deutschsprachigen Sicherheitscenters des Dienstes gemeldet werden. Außerdem ist es möglich, andere Nutzende zu blockieren und zu melden. Sogenannte Content-Manager prüfen Verstöße gegen die Snapchat-Richtlinien.
Snapchat sammelt jede Menge Daten von seinen Nutzern und erläutert das sehr offen in seinen Datenschutzbestimmungen – auch, dass Daten teilweise an Dritte weitergegeben werden. Die Daten, die man über Snapchat versendet, werden bei der Übertragung verschlüsselt. Über das Family Center können Eltern in der App verschiedene Kontrollfunktionen nutzen.
Über das Family Center von Snapchat erhalten Eltern Möglichkeiten über Kontrollfunktionen, z.B. einen Überblick zu den Aktivitäten ihres Kindes oder die Einrichtung von Inhaltskontrollen in der App. Um sich mit dem Konto des Kindes zu verbinden, wird allerdings ein eigener Snapchat-Account benötigt. Jugendliche müssen der Verbindung auch selbst zustimmen.
Wenn Ihr Kind die App gern nutzen möchte, sollten Sie unbedingt über mögliche Gefahren sprechen. Regeln Sie, wer die geteilten Inhalte sehen kann und wer nicht. Gehen Sie gemeinsam die Einstellungen durch. Erklären Sie Ihrem Kind, dass versendete Bilder per Screenshot vom Empfänger abgespeichert werden können. Es ist dringend zu empfehlen, dass Jugendliche nur Freundinnen und Freunde zu ihrer Liste hinzufügen, die sie tatsächlich kennen. Eine gute Übersicht zum sicheren Umgang mit Snapchat bietet Jugendlichen das Angebot Handysektor.
Sprechen Sie über die Funktion Snap Map: Was bedeutet die Sichtbarmachung des eigenen Standorts, welche Folgen und Risiken gehen damit einher und wird die Funktion überhaupt gebraucht? Das Teilen des Standortes kann auch unbewusst passieren (beim Öffnen der App). Dies kann im sogenannten „Geistmodus“ (Ghost Mode) verhindert werden. Auch kann der App die Berechtigung entzogen werden, auf den Standort zuzugreifen. Wenn eine Freundin Ihres Kindes Snapchat+ nutzt, sollte besonders darauf geachtet werden, die Tracking-Funktion zu deaktivieren oder die Person zu blockieren.
Take photos and share on Instagram or WhatsApp is not only child’s play and a matter of course for young people. It’s about sharing experiences and presenting yourself in the best light. In the past, only professionals could edit photos to make the subject look perfect. Today, smartphones and apps bring such possibilities.
Photos of oneself – mostly selfies – are published particularly frequently. At Instagram and Snapchat you can make them directly in the app and choose a filter beforehand. This is virtually superimposed over the photo or video taken. This makes it quick and easy to integrate fun elements such as elf ears, beards or butterflies into the photo or video. Besides fun filters, so-called beauty filters are very popular. These change the face of the person and adapt it to certain specifications. Thus, features such as skin appearance, hair and eye color or facial features can be changed.
The choice of filters is unlimited and it is getting bigger and bigger. Children and young people find it funny and entertaining. They can also use filters to slip into other roles and try their hand. Sometimes filters even provide more anonymity, since the face is not always recognizable.
With beauty filters, one’s own face is quickly “beautified” and adapted to a certain ideal of beauty. Young people find this fascinating and some feel more comfortable with filtered selfies than presenting their true selves in public.
Apps like Spark AR Studio let you design your own filters and use them on Instagram. Young people can thus imitate the filters of their role models. There are even small trends and challenges developing with face filters. In this way, users feel they belong to a community and are closer to their idols.
Big eyes, narrow nose, pouty mouth and perfect complexion. Face filters can give a very one-sided image of beauty. Young people think that this is normal and they have to look just as perfect. The photos created by filters distort one’s own self. In young people, self-confidence is not yet consolidated. Therefore, compare themselves strongly with other people and with widespread ideals of beauty. They may not like pictures of themselves without filters or how they really look. Yet very few people are perfect. You can read more about the dangers of these beauty ideals in our article “Self-perception in times of Instagram & Co”. A counter-movement in social media is called body positivity or #nofilter. Images posted under these hashtags aim to show real people without using filters.
Understand your child’s enthusiasm for Face Filter when it’s all about fun and creativity. Have them show you what filters your child is using. Talk to him about filters that are supposed to make you more beautiful and what is really behind them. Make it clear that filtered images have little to do with reality. Browse the web together for photos tagged with the hashtags #nofilter or #facepositivity . Talk about your own self-image and encourage your child to accept themselves and see themselves as beautiful.
Hashtags are single words or groups of words under posts on social media, usually in the image description or title of a post. They work like a keyword or filter: when you click on a hashtag , all posts that have been tagged with that hashtag are displayed.
Twitter (now X) was the first to introduce the hashtag so that users can follow all posts on a topic that interests them. Whether under pictures on Instagram or video posts on TikTok and YouTube – it’s hard to imagine all the world’s popular social platforms today without hashtags.
A hashtag always consists of the hash sign “#” and a description behind it (tag = keyword). Word groups are written one after the other without spaces or punctuation. Mostly, several hashtags are used under or behind a post. This increases the likelihood that others will take notice of the post. Since the Internet is a space without national borders, English hashtags are often used, so people from many countries can search for them.
Hashtags are a good way to reach many people. Influencers use them to become better known. The hashtags with the most posts on Instagram include #fashion and #style, under which mostly new outfits are presented. For many fashion brands, Instagram is therefore also an important channel for advertising.
But hashtags are also used for political topics, e.g. to draw attention to a social problem and to encourage people to think and act. Entire movements have been created through hashtags , such as #bodypositivity, under which pictures of real bodies are collected to counter unrealistic beauty ideals. The climate movement was also able to reach many people online with #fridaysforfuture and make the issue of climate change a topic around the world. Hashtags are therefore also a means of stimulating discussions on topics that otherwise receive little attention. Many women around the world have shared their experiences of sexual harassment via #metoo. It quickly became a big issue in the public eye. This also allowed cases of harassment and abuse to be made public. The boundaries of the online world and the world outside the Internet are increasingly interconnected and influence each other.
Hashtags can motivate people and create a sense of belonging: During the corona crisis, users posted pictures and Stories shared under #westayhome of their time at the home office or at home with family. So hashtags are also a way to feel connected to each other, which can be nice and fun during a difficult time.
Actually, Leon should have been asleep a long time ago so that he would be fit for the class test tomorrow. Instead, he’s probably chatting with his buddies all night again or the incoming messages in the class group are keeping him awake. But you don’t want to switch off the WLAN connection, because you still have to write an important e-mail. Conveniently, there are routers where you can assign user profiles so that Leon can no longer access the WLAN after a certain time and sleep peacefully.
There is an Internet connection in almost every family. Most often provides a WLAN router in the hallway for stable Internet. You can usually borrow one from your Internet provider. Or you can buy a FRITZ!Box. With the settings options of this router, the Internet use of individual devices can be restricted and adjusted. These parental control settings are one way to make surfing safer for your child.
With FRITZ!Box, you can access all devices logged on to the network in the browser at http://fritz.box and make settings. In addition to account, telephony and software settings, you can also limit and adjust the Internet usage of individual devices here.
To make parental control settings, go to “Filters” in the left column via “Internet”. There you can control Internet access for all devices registered in your home network. Under “Parental Control” you assign access profiles to individual devices. You can define and customize these yourself under “Access profiles”. You use it to define how network devices, whether smartphones or computers, are allowed to use the Internet. For each profile, you can limit online time, share or restrict network applications, and block certain Internet sites. There is also the possibility to block websites that are harmful to minors, as well as to store a blacklist and whitelist, i.e. permitted and prohibited websites. These can be edited under “Lists”.
Unfortunately, adolescents in puberty do not always think about the consequences of their actions. So Leon probably doesn’t worry about the fact that he might have to write an overtired class assignment tomorrow. That’s why technical solutions such as settings on the WLAN router can support media education at home. You can partially protect your child from content harmful to minors and limit online time if they don’t think of it themselves and you can’t check it. Discuss such settings with your child beforehand and still give him or her the necessary freedom to decide on his or her own media use. Technical settings are no substitute for the joint negotiation and establishment of clearly understandable media rules for everyone.
