Snapchat and WhatsApp: what is the difference?
One forgets, one remembers. Why that matters for how kids use them.
WhatsApp remembers. Messages stay in the chat until someone deletes them, which makes it the tool for family groups, class chats and “what was the homework again?”
Snapchat forgets. Photos and messages disappear after they are viewed, which is why kids love it: it feels like talking, not like writing something down. It also has streaks, a counter for how many days in a row two friends have exchanged snaps. Streaks are the reason your kid “has to” open the app every day.
What parents should know: disappearing is not the same as gone. Anyone can take a screenshot. And Snapchat’s map can show friends where your kid is, unless “ghost mode” is switched on.
Smartie’s tip
Teach one sentence: never send anything you wouldn’t want on the classroom wall. It works for both apps, and for every app that comes next.
Written with Smartie, the KidsProxy assistant, and checked by a human before it went online.
You decide which messengers are always on.
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