Growth in Snapchat use sparks cyberbullying and sexting fears

An anti-bullying organisation has said it is concerned about the boom in the use of the Snapchat app among teenagers over fears it could be used for cyberbullying and “sexting”.

Bully4u said in its most recent survey of 1,020 children aged between 13 and 15; 80% of 13-year-olds and 90% of 15-year-olds were using the smartphone app.

The rapid uptake of users has pushed the way the app works into the spotlight, particularly in light of some legal cases in other countries where young people have been investigated for alleged distribution of child pornography.