What Are the Potential Dangers of Instagram to Your Kids?

Instagram is a popular social media app that allows users to share instant photos and videos with one other. Over time, the platform has advanced so much so that one can also share text messages and have video calls in private with one another.

This social media app looks attractive and alluring to the kids because they can learn so much from it. They can connect with their friends, post about their lives, seek entertainment, and discuss several topics. But they should remember that all that glitters is not gold. The platform can be menacing to their mental health if they don’t use it appropriately.

Even a single wrong step taken by the kids on Instagram can harm them in several different ways. Thanks to advanced technology, parents can use parental control apps and apply privacy settings to their Instagram app to protect kids from online dangers lurking on the app.

When you know how to hackle the problems your kids are facing on the app, you can keep them safe from those problems to some extent. For this, you need to be aware of the app, especially its dark side, and how it can negatively impact your kid’s life.

In this article, we will discuss the potential dangers your kids can face on the Instagram app. Let’s see how this photo-sharing app can be harmful to your kids, especially if it is not used in the right way. We will also offer you a solution to tackle those harmful dangers.

Potential Dangers of Instagram to Your Kids

Below are some potential dangers of Instagram that your kids need to know about:

Adult Content

Adult content is present everywhere on the internet. So, it goes without saying that your kids will be likely to stumble upon inappropriate content on Instagram. The alarming thing is that the content cannot even be filtered on the app.

Kids can come across photos and videos of supermodels and fashion influencers that are not appropriate for them to see. Even if the kids do not visit the accounts of those Instagram models, their photos and videos can pop up on their feed anytime. Once your kid opens the explore section on the app, they are likely to come across all sorts of content and that includes adult content as well.

What’s more alarming is that Instagram allows users to clear the search history with just one click. Once your kids get the hang of this option, they can clear the search history, not leaving behind any trace of their inappropriate activity. Once history is cleared, parents cannot track the wrong activities performed by kids on the app.

Spreading Bad Influence

You won’t be surprised to know that almost every public figure is present on Instagram today. Be it authors, actors, models, influencers, sportsperson, YouTubers, or musicians, you can find all of them on the social media app.

It is a fact that the lifestyle of these celebrities is far more luxurious than that of a normal person. When these celebs post photos and videos of themselves exhibiting their lavish lifestyle, kids become attracted by them. As a result, they are inspired by their lavish lifestyle and aspire to have the same.

Eventually, kids start comparing their own lives with the celebs and this is where the actual problem stems from. In their attempt to imitate the Instagram celebs’ lifestyles, they try to do the same things as them and insist on their parents getting them the things that those celebs use. Since those items are out of their budget, parents cannot get them for their kids.

This is how Instagram leaves a bad influence on kids and their lives. Similarly, the app can have a bad influence on kids in several other ways that can cause them anxiety and depression.

Stranger Danger

There is a constant stranger danger on every social media app and Instagram is no different. Online predators lurk on the app, constantly looking for innocent kids to trap them into fake online relationships. Your kids won’t be likely to come across predators on the app unless they have a private account.

However, if their account is public, then they can receive hundreds of message requests from strangers and unknown followers on the app. With public accounts, anyone can reach to your kids and send them private messages. Anyone can leave comments on their posts as they are public and open to everyone.

There is a high chance that an online predator can leave embarrassing and disgusting comments on your kids’ posts, causing them shame. The predator can manipulate your kid with sweet-talk and lure them into fake online relationships only to demand inappropriate photos and videos from them. Later, they can blackmail the same kids and their families for money.

Cyberbullying

Instagram is one of the social media apps that encourages cyberbullying. In fact, most cyberbullying incidents happen to take place on this app. Bullies take advantage of online platforms like Instagram to target innocent victims and send them threatening messages.

For instance, if your kid has a public account, the bully can easily leave hurtful, mean, and threatening comments on their posts since they are open to everyone. They can also send threatening messages in private.

These toxic messages from cyberbullies can cause kids to have feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and depression. Most kids become mute while receiving threatening messages from bullies and experience everything on their own. They hardly report such incidents to their parents or guardians. Remaining silent and facing cyberbullying on their own can leave a major brunt on their personality.

How to Tackle Instagram Dangers?

Once you are aware of all the potential dangers your kids can face while using Instagram, you should not jump to the conclusion of deleting their accounts right away. Deleting their Instagram account would be of no help because they can always create a new one and won’t tell you about it.

Instead, what you need to do is, take them in your confidence and explain to them everything about those dangers briefly. After that, you need to tell them why installing a parental control app on their device would be a good idea. The parental control app can help you monitor and control your kid’s activity on the app as well as help you protect them from online dangers.

Besides using a parental monitoring app, you can also apply privacy settings to their Instagram app so that your kids are less likely to come across all those dangers we have mentioned above. Have them use a private account instead of a public one because they can be protected from many dangers if they use a private Instagram account.