What Parents And Teachers Should Know About Snapchat

Snap Utilizes “Extended Use” designs to keep kids hooked

Push Notifications: messages sent after a user logs off (including at night) to pull them back.
• Streaks: kids are incentivized to log on every day, or they lose their Snap Streaks.
• Rewards/Gamification: badges, icons, stickers, Scores, and other visual representations tied
to user activity and use levels.
• Hidden Rewards: icons, awards, trophies, and charms earned for use-related accomplishments.
• Endless Scroll: navigation feature that maximizes time and activity, including by removing
“natural break” triggers.
These types of features are designed to exploit developmental vulnerabilities in kids and young
adults, and can create dependencies which, in turn, can cause severe mental and physical harms,
i.e. anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, unhealthy behaviors, and self-harm, to name only a few.

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