The one where I have a mom brain

So a friend and I had a mini conversation last night about Snapchat. And she has agreed to “stay not easily offended" during this post, it is long, but I feel important, so read on. 

The point of this post is not to condemn anyone that uses it. Or tell them they are wrong because they use it. I am just giving my opinion on the matter, and possibly shedding light on a subject many people don't know much about.

Let's start. Snapchat. It is an app anyone can download, you connect with your friends, and take pictures of yourself that you can send to a group, or one person. That picture can only be viewed for 1-10 seconds (you choose how long.) And then, it "disappears."

I think it is probably one of the worst things out in the world right now. Their main tag line is, "shared, not saved." So they are pulling people in by basically telling them, "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", it's the same concept. Anything goes here, nobody has to know. That is horrible message to give, and way to draw people in.

Here are some stats I found about Snapchat.

-half of all 18 to 30-year-old respondents (47 percent) have received nude pictures

-67 percent had received images of "inappropriate poses or gestures"

-On November 14, 2013, police in Laval, Quebec, Canada arrested 10 boys aged 13 to 15 on child pornography charges after the boys allegedly captured and shared explicit photos of teenage girls sent through Snapchat as screenshots.

Now. Seriously I know a lot of people don't use Snapchat for this reason, like my friend said, "It’s just something fun to do with my friends and husband."  However. Those stats are ridiculously sad. I mean really. A 13 year old arrested for child porn?

Anything can be twisted up and used in ways not “intended, but Snapchat was created as a “safe way to sext.”  That was the point.  It was thought up by guys at Stanford University who refer to women as “betches” and themselves as “certified bros.”  Really professional. 

“Lots of not-so-innocent things are used innocently. And lots of innocent things are used for not-so-innocent things.
Yup. That’s true. But I think when you understand that the app is fundamentally built on a lie, one which intentionally deceives you, and when you understand that the original intention of the app– in the words of its creators– was “the best way to sext.””
“The fact is that SnapChat was created as a sexting app. Like a do it yourself version of Girls Gone Wild. You might not use it that way, but that’s what it was created for.” Is that something you feel comfortable supporting?

Obviously I understand you trust your spouse, and you know they won't be sending out inappropriate things, but nobody can control what is sent to them. You don't know what could ever be in a snap that you get, by then it’s too late.

I know there is an option to only have "friends" send you snaps, however now with the security breach, anyone that was involved now has their username affected and anything else they've done on their phones.  Nothing is fool proof people, there are always ways around things. 

I know that anything done on the internet can be twisted into something worse. But I think Snapchat is THE worst because they lead you to think that it has disappeared once the time is up. Which isn't true.

There are always ways to retrieve "deleted" data from anything.

"On May 9, 2013, Forbes reported that Snapchat photos do not actually disappear, and that the images can still be retrieved with minimal technical knowledge after the time limit expires.  The Electronic Privacy Information Center consequently filed a complaint against Snapchat with the Federal Trade Commission, stating that Snapchat deceived its customers by leading them to believe that pictures are destroyed within seconds of viewing.
Snapchat's own documentation states that the company's servers retain a log of the last 200 "snaps" that were sent and received, but no actual content is stored. The documentation further explains that if the file is not viewed by the recipient, it remains on Snapchat's servers for 30 days."

"With the right legal process from law enforcement, Snapchat is often able to preserve evidence, provide identifying information and cooperate with investigations."

So basically. Snapchat does keep track of the things sent and received, even though they advertise the exact opposite.
And it is possible to pull old snaps. Not easy. But possible.

Now this is just my opinion, and I as I was getting ready for bed last night, I was trying to figure out why I had such strong feelings about this. I don't think I would have given it a second thought a while ago.

Then it came to me. The same reason that now when I sit and watch TV I am appalled at the things that they show, say and do. The messages sent out in advertisements, commercials and magazines are obscene.  The women are portrayed as objects. 5 year old kids are cursing in shows and movies.  Music that is on is about cheating, sex and lies.

But. It is all perceived as "normal" to everyone now. That's just how it is, no second thought is spared for how scantily dressed the women are, or sexually explicit. And the language that people use, I seriously have had the desire to slap people around me. I wish I could without getting arrested. It is horrid to think we have all grown accustomed to this and think it natural.

I am a mom now. I am responsible for my child's well-being and exaltation. It is my job, to instill values that mean something help them know their worth. How is this ever supposed to happen when such disgusting things surround us every day?

As a mother I would love nothing more than to stick my son in a bubble and have nothing bad ever happen to him, and shelter him so much that he never has to see any of the things the world seems as "normal." However. I am very aware that is not how it works. Without misery there can be no joy. Without knowing the bad there can't be any good.
"Adam fell that men might be, and men are, that they might have joy." 2 Nephi 2:27

The point of our lives isn't to make it through without any bad. We are here to be tested. Satan is here so we can utilize our agency and learn and grow.  We have to face challenges and have things surrounding us that we wish weren't there so that we can become stronger.

Since about halfway through my pregnancy I have been more alert and aware of these things. I started stressing about how I was going to teach my children the right things, and especially how I was going to have to let them be hurt, and go through things I would rather them not. I am just going to teach them to the best of my ability and know that The Lord is watching over them too.

When I see things like this out in the world, or on TV, my first thought now is, “would I let my kids do this, watch this, say this?” or “there are kids around—I can’t believe they are doing that!” As a parent, my first thought is for the welfare of my children. I worry about my babe 24 hours a day, and I know I am not alone in that. That is the reason I have such a hard time with these things.  I know there will always be bad, but I want to do what I can to protect my children, but not necessarily inhibit them. Keeping Snapchat off my devices, and not using it myself are just ways to set an example. If I don’t want my kids doing something, I will do my darndest to not do it myself. 

Before I knew much about Snapchat at all, I read this article, and it shed a lot of light onto the subject for me.  If you still want to know more, read it.  It is chalked full of more information, that people really should be aware of. 

Sources:
http://adammclane.com/2013/08/22/why-you-should-delete-snapchat/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapchat

http://www.snapchat.com/static_files/parents.pdf