Messaging has revolutionized how people interact. It is no surprise that 88% of kids today exchange messages almost every waking hour. These Gen Z are digital natives and know all the ins and outs of messaging apps. They can use features such as disappearing messages to their advantage and keep conversations away from their parents’ prying eyes.
What exactly is Disappearing Messages?
Disappearing or vanishing messages are removed from chat automatically or disappear after a certain time. The purpose of the vanishing message is to offer users an added layer of privacy and security.
Many instant messaging apps offer this feature, including Snapchat, Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, WeChat, Instagram, and iMessage.
It allows users to send fleeting photos, videos, and texts. Once enabled, any new private or group chat messages will be deleted after the preassigned time. Also, in most apps, a timer countdown icon at the bottom of the message shows how much time is left, after which the message will self-delete.
The 5 Apps Parents Need to Know About
In this modern age, digital footprints are a primary concern for most parents. However, instant messaging (IM) apps allow kids to hide their messages without a trace. Several IM apps offer self-destructing features where certain text or multimedia files are deleted after a certain time.
These apps also allow kids to control the lifespan of their online exchange. They can set messages to disappear once viewed, 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days. Your child can use slang words or send intimate pictures and set the message to self-destruct. This shows the command and control modern-day children have over their digital interactions.
Here are the 5 Apps you need to know that offer this risky feature:
It goes without saying that WhatsApp is the most widely used app for calls and messages worldwide. Teenagers extravagantly use the disappearing message feature when interacting with their friends and peers. They can turn on this feature for all chats or for select chats.
Most kids prefer setting the messages to disappear in 24 hours rather than 7 or 90 days. Your child can even turn on the setting in group chats. However, anyone in the group can keep the disappearing message until the set duration expires. Also, the media sent as disappearing messages in the group chat will disappear but still get saved in the gallery.
Disappearing messages are kept out of all backups, and you cannot restore them. Even WhatsApp does not store the messages and cannot restore them for you. Besides, the app offers end-to-end encryption, and you may require a code or number to view your child’s messages. However, you can install an intrusive WhatsApp monitoring app on your child’s cell phone to access their chat threads and media exchanged through disappearing messages.
Snapchat
You will be surprised to know that Snapchat was the first app to launch the disappearing messages feature. It introduced the ‘Stories’ feature, in which snaps automatically delete 24 hours after viewing. However, children can turn the setting to delete right after viewing or never delete. If the receiver takes a screenshot of the snap, a notification is sent to the sender.
The disappearing message feature works in both private and group chats. Overall, Snapchat has over 414 million active users, but Gen Z kids are by far the app’s most popular users. They use it to exchange texts, photos, calls, and videos. Your child could be at risk of viewing adult or upsetting content shared with them in private or group chat. Predators can create fake profiles and groom and exploit your child by indulging them in inappropriate chats.
Unfortunately, Snapchat’s parental control does not apply to disappearing messages. Therefore, it is necessary to use a Snapchat monitoring app that records all your child’s Snapchat activity.
Telegram
Telegram is another messaging app that was launched in 2013. The app remained fairly inconspicuous until 2021, when it was referred to as the best alternative to WhatsApp. It was why Telegram began offering a host of features such as silent messages, advanced chat management, animation, bots, group chats for 200,000 users, and translating messages.
The ‘Secret chat’ functionality allows teens to encrypt the text, photos, and videos they send. Apart from the receiver, no one else can view or check the messages, which will self-destruct after a given time.
Telegram also provides the disappearing message feature in normal chat modes. The app also notifies the sender if the other person takes a screenshot of the message. You can ask your teen to remove the self-destructive feature, but they can easily turn it back on without you knowing. The app offers ephemeral messaging and advanced encryption, so parents need a Telegram monitoring app to track their children’s activity using the app.
Many parents view Instagram as a photo and video-sharing app. The app is not famous for its messaging features, but it still offers a ‘vanish mode.’ This allows kids to exchange disappearing media and messages in chats.
The text, pictures, and videos disappear when someone leaves a chat or the vanish mode is turned on. Unlike WhatsApp and Snapchat, users do not get the option to save the self-destructing message. Also, a notification is sent if someone does a screen record or screenshot of the chat in vanish mode.
Teens can easily involve themselves in sharing intimate photos and videos that can make them vulnerable to abuse and bullying. Thus, you need to monitor how they use Instagram and the type of photos they upload and share.
iMessage
Many parents who use iPhones know about iMessage, a messaging app developed by Apple and launched in 2011. The app functions exclusively on iOS devices and platforms.
iMessage does not broadly proclaim to have a disappearing feature. However, it does offer an ‘invisible feature’ that hides the message for both sender and receiver. The user only views the content of the message by tapping on it. iMessage also has an ‘undo send’ option for teens to send risky messages and adult images. For example, the child can send nude or semi-nude photos and quickly unsend them within the given 2-minute limit.
Unfortunately, you cannot disable this feature on the child’s phone, and none of the parental control options allow you to manage it. However, you can use a premium monitoring app to view your child’s iMessage chats.
Why Parents Need to be Concerned About Disappearing Messages?
Children, particularly teens, want more physical and online freedom after adolescence. Not only do they try to make their own decisions, but they also keep their conversation and online activity private. Modern chat apps provide them with all the means to do so. However, they can easily fall into cyberbullies who disguise themselves as teens.
These online predators use disappearing messages to groom, send offensive media, and discuss inappropriate topics with the kids. The fact that the text and media disappear after a relatively short period hints at risky behavior. It also makes it challenging for parents and law enforcement to detect and intercede in cases of extreme abuse.
Recently, a series of unfortunate events have caused a lawsuit that states that the design of Snapchat encourages illicit and lewd conduct. According to UNESCO, more than 12% of youth across the world from ages 9 to 16 become victims of cyberbullying.
Parents have their own hands tied up with personal and professional chores. It is rather difficult for them to peruse many messages their teens send over a dozen apps.
How to Uncover Disappearing Messages on Your Child’s Phone
The IM apps offer disappearing messages and end-to-end encryption, making it hard for anyone to know the content of the messages. Apart from physical access to the cell phone, there is no way to know how your child uses disappearing messages.
Furthermore, your child may delete the chat before handing over the phone to you or set a password to unlock the phone and chat if you secretly want to know.
Installing a monitoring app such as XNSPY is one possible solution to discreetly monitor your child’s IM activity. The app provides diverse tools to uncover the contents of disappearing messages, such as screen recordings and screenshots.
These tools help you access the type of message the child exchanges on a dozen IM apps, including WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Viber, iMessage, Telegram, Tinder, Kik, Skype, Line, and Signal.
You only have to access your teen’s cell phone once to install XNSPY. As the app works in stealth mode, it will gather all the disappearing message data, which you can view by accessing your XNSPY dashboard. You get valuable details from all the IM apps that include:
- Viewing all the sent and received messages
- Tracking all photos and videos that are shared
- The contact name and number
- The date and time stamp of each message
XNSPY is a comprehensive parental monitoring app that gives you deeper insights into the type of messages your child sends or receives. You can also use its other features to learn more about your child’s personality and behavior.
The keylogger monitors and records the child’s keystrokes while typing messages on apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype, and Viber. You can complement this with the watchlist alerts, which notify you if the child uses inappropriate or abusive words.
Conclusion
Disappearing messages are a feature that gives users an added sense of security and privacy. It does not necessarily mean teens always use them to send inappropriate texts or hide things from you.
However, unmonitored chats often lead to cyberbullying, invasion of privacy, cyberstalking, and exploitation, so parents need to be safe rather than sorry.
Even if your child is not sending offensive messages, they might be at the receiving end of them. You can talk with the kids about their favorite messaging apps and get familiar with self-destructing and other advanced features. However, keeping track of the hundreds of messages they send every day is a hassle you probably wish to avoid.
Install XNSPY, which provides diverse tools to monitor any disappearing messages or activities your kid engages in. You can also use its other robust features to guide your kid toward safer and more responsible tech usage.
