We’ve written a lot about Instagram and SnapChat; both are popular photo/video sharing apps for teens and both pose threats to their safety online if left unmonitored. Recently, Instagram (to compete with SnapChat’s popularity) upped its user-to-user sharing ability by adding Instagram Direct, which is simply direct messaging.
With the introduction of Instagram Direct users can now share and receive photos and videos “privately” with select recipients—up to 15 at a time—even people that do not follow them on Instagram. Prior to this function, users could only share photos and videos in their public stream to all of their followers.
Family safety translation: Direct access to your child’s Instagram account just increased.
Instagram notes on its blog that the reason for the new feature is that there are “moments in our lives that we want to share, but that will be the most relevant only to a smaller group of…
