Warning to teens over Snapchat app’s bullying potential

As the popularity of the controversial website ask.fm fades, another site is gaining currency with teenagers, leading to social media experts warning parents to talk to their children about Snapchat.

Snapchat is an app that allows users to ‘snap’ a picture or a video and add a caption. They can then send the picture and it can be viewed by the recipient for three to 10 seconds before it self-deletes or ‘self-destructs’.

Snapchat’s developers say: “The allure of fleeting messages reminds us about the beauty of friendship — we don’t need a reason to stay in touch.”