By Kerry Gallagher
Snapchat and Instagram, two of the top apps where teens spend their screen time outside of school, have released helpful features worth noting. These features allow users to be in more control of their experience when using the apps.
Through short videos, engaging scenarios, and interactive questions, teens and their adults can learn how to navigate situations such as illicit drug activity, nude and intimate images, sextortion, and bullying. Self-paced and practical, The Keys is interesting and full of true-to-life situations.
According to Snapchat, “The Keys was inspired by drivers education, where for generations teenagers have learned the rules of the road in the classroom, but also by practicing how to drive a vehicle. Similarly, The Keys teaches teens about how to spot and protect against potential harms, and then presents realistic scenarios to help them practice how to respond if confronted with these risks.”
Control the Reels algorithm in Instagram
There is a lot of conversation about whether algorithms serve us as users, or whether they serve up content that is uninteresting or even harmful to us. Meta is responding to the calls for more control over what Reels we see in our feed with their Your Algorithm feature.
Instagram says, “As your interests evolve over time, we want to give you more meaningful ways to control what you see on Instagram, starting with Reels. Using AI, you can now more easily view and personalize the topics that shape your Reels, making recommendations feel even more tailored to you.”
Teach your teens about these new helpful features. They will feel more empowered to make their experiences on Snapchat and Instagram safer, uplifting, and helpful.