The following is adapted from the article “Instagram: Is it safe for kids?” by SociallyActive.com:

Instagram is a large social network that every parent needs to be aware of. Instagram is a photo editing and sharing mobile app that lets you edit photos taken on your phone and post them to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter with the click of a button.

It seems that the more people that join Instagram, the more lewd comments there are on children’s photos, the more inappropriate pictures there are that show-up in children’s news feeds, and the more reports there are of cyberbullying and sexual predation.

Allowing your child to have an Instagram account is a personal decision that every parent will need to make. However, here are 3 things you can do to ensure you make the right decision for your family, and if you do let your teen online you’ll know they’re being safe.

1. Take the Instagram Challenge. If your child is already on Instagram or you are considering letting him or her on, then download the Instagram app and spend an hour browsing the photos that your child is inevitably going to be exposed to. This will give you a good idea as to whether Instagram is a place you want your child to be.
2. Read the article “Instagram and Kids: A parent’s guide to privacy and safety.” This step-by-step article will walk you through the terminology and the privacy settings on Instagram. Make sure your child’s profile is set to private!
3. Consider signing up for a Social Privacy Monitoring tool like SociallyActive that connects directly to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and allows you to monitor all of your teen’s social activities in one place. Then you’ll never have to question whether what your child is posting online is appropriate.