(ThyBlackMan.com) Learning about and using Snapchat and other online Social platforms can be fun and open doors for positive digital connections, but there are dangers that parents must understand are a reality.
Apps can open digital doorways into being digitally visual more than children need to be and allow for stalking and voyeurism.
Connecting and sharing content is what Social platforms are all about, the potential of stalking grows when people are able to find your location when you turn on your location and Apps can send digital signals detailing your location and movements.
The potential for children, youth and teens to create situations for themselves to become targets of CyberStalking, CyberBullying, and even setting children to be targets of sexual targeting for sex 
trafficking. Technology opens doors quickly for people to connect, parents sometimes have no idea or clue that their children are connecting with their friends through the use of SoLoMo technologies that make it easier for the world to see them.
Social engagement is made easier because Local events require a digital connection to know what is going on and Mobile technology opens doors for growing movement of children, youth, teens and young adults. Their social engagement is all digital.
Meetups, Hookups, Bash and Dash, Hit and Run by teens and young adults are becoming easier. The opportunity to have sexual contact behind or even right in front of digitally blinded parents is growing; children, youth and teens share with each other new Apps that are invasive and share locations, new tools that allow collaboration with other programs that can be tracked and recorded and even Social Media platforms that allow for direct and instant connections and storing of personal data. Technology is valuable when used properly, but too many young people are engaged in dangerous and potentially digital stupidity when they are enticed to leave the protection of parents and guardians to follow digital bread crumbs that are lies and deceptions.
One child is too many that have been snatched because they were lured to meet someone they thought was a friend, but turned out to be a sexual predator with the intent to do harm or even murder. Even if there is no request with new tools children, teens and young adults can be digitally followed and not even know it if they leave their location tracking on or someone can see landmarks in a hastily created video.
Parents need to stay actively engaged with knowing what is on their children’s and teens phones and other digital devices. Lives have already been taken, young lives that have not even started. Parents must be sure to talk to their children and have family discussions about expectations for behavior, accountability and responsibility.
Resources for Snap Chat and Snap Map
Snap Map
https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/21/snap-map/
Staff Writer; William D. Jackson
Find out more about this talented writer over at; OCS For Education.
