“Young individuals often fail to recognise the dangers of reckless online behaviour. And, parenting in the digital age requires constant conversations,” says actress Shefali Shah. Shah along with Uthara Ganesh Head of Public Policy, Snap Inc. India, sat down with indianexpress.com to discuss the new set of safeguards introduced by Snapchat.
With access to the internet bringing connectivity to the fingertips, it’s imperative to safeguard teenagers on social media platforms. Parents, educators, and social media platforms have a collective responsibility to nurture a safe environment and offer proactive measures against exploitation and cyberbullying.
The conversation yielded some interesting insights and personal anecdotes on safety and preventive measures in the digital landscape. Snapchat recently announced a slew of features to protect its teenage users from online risks. These features include a new strike system and detection technologies to remove accounts that make or promote inappropriate content to teens.
Authentic user experience
During the interaction, Ganesh recounted the story of the founders of Snapchat while emphasising the platform’s distinct approach to social media. “Our founders, Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy were the first generation of social media users. They noticed, actually pretty early on, that social media was evolving to become a space where people were putting out a really perfect version of themselves on the internet.” She noted that the ephemeral nature of Snapchat with messages disappearing after being viewed, was developed to emulate real-life conversations, thereby promoting an authentic and private user experience.
The Snapchat executive spoke about the new features that have been introduced to enhance user safety, including warning popups for teenagers whenever they are contacted by a stranger and the strike system to track and control accounts promoting age-inappropriate content. “If today, a 13 to 17-year-old on Snapchat, is contacted by somebody who is not on their friend list or someone who does not have a lot of mutual friends with, there will be a popup warning that says, hey, pause and consider whether or not you want to continue this conversation,” added Ganesh.
Parental control and social media
Acclaimed actor and mother, Shefali Shah, shared her unique perspective on the current wave of social media. The renowned star emphasised the critical role of continuous dialogue in parenting and the need to guide children to help them navigate the complexities of the digital world responsibly.
In the candid conversation, the actor vividly shared her experiences with her sons also highlighting her evolving understanding of social media over the years. Shah highlighted the need to foster a sense of realism in children to protect them from the unrealistic portrayals often seen on social media platforms.
When asked if she gave any guidance to her sons who are active on Snapchat, Shah quipped, “My sons are 20 and 21. They are on Snapchat and I tried befriending them and they simply rejected me.” Humour aside, the actor underscored the necessity of maintaining an open channel of communication encouraging parents to learn and grow along with their children in understanding the digital realm.
Throughout the conversation, Ganesh and Shah unanimously agreed on the importance of educating both parents and children to foster a safe online environment. Ganesh highlighted Snapchat’s partnership with the Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) to create educational resources to promote online safety.
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Awareness is key
On the other hand, Shah urged parents to engage in detailed, often uncomfortable, conversations with their children offering them both ‘roots and wings’. Shah said that parents need to be willing to learn and stay updated to effectively guide their children in the ever-evolving digital landscape. “One of the most important things of parenting is to be able to give them roots as well as wings. So you give them the information. And then, unfortunately, you have to let them figure out how they want to use that information,” said Shah.
The conversation also touched upon the potential role of the education system in promoting internet hygiene and safe social media practices. Ganesh, while acknowledging the complexity of the issue, expressed Snapchat’s commitment to working with various stakeholders to address concerns and foster a safe and responsible online community.
“From an educational standpoint and as a company, we view this as the beginning of what we hope will be an extensive, detailed, and fruitful collaboration with the community, parents, and young individuals. It is vital to facilitate genuine discussions about these significant issues. We value the feedback and incorporate it into our company’s approach,” said Ganesh.
