Creating a Finsta (fake Instagram) account on the popular photo platform, Instagram has become the norm for many teens. After all, where\u2019s a teen to go online to get away from the always prying eyes of parents, teachers, employers, coaches, and even other peers? Exactly, if it isn’t Finsta, it will be somewhere else eventually.<\/p>\n
Because Instagram now allows users to create and toggle quickly between multiple accounts, teens started creating Finsta accounts. Finsta, in contrast to Instagram accounts, serves multiple purposes, according to the handful of teens I talked to.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the upside of Finsta: Finsta is a place they can be themselves outside of the filter-driven, perfect-photo culture of Instagram. Sounds refreshing, right? While teens often post to Instagram to garner a high number of likes and quick compliments, on Finsta, it\u2019s understood that likes, perfect photos, and shallow comments are not the goal. Instead, teens that post photos can express real feelings, post imperfect photos, and engage in more meaningful conversations they may not always feel comfortable sharing in a more public forum. All of this sounds like freedom if you are a teen that feels pressure to post daily proof that you\u2019re living a picture-perfect, adventure-filled life.<\/p>\n
Still, for all of the good, authentic vibes a Finsta account affords, it\u2019s also a place where teens might also show off by posting photos of illegal activities such as drinking, drugs, parties, or sexy photos they\u2019d never post in the more public stream of Instagram. Because Finsta accounts usually engage with a closed circle of friends, inappropriate content can (and does) get posted more often than not. If you need proof of that statement, just ask your teen to show you his or her Finsta account.<\/p>\n
Predictable behavior? Yes. Safe? Not always, which is where parents need to take notice.<\/p>\n
A teen\u2019s Finstagram account can backfire in an instant if you consider the culture of underage users, the potential for conflict, and the fact that maturity isn\u2019t always in ample supply when you mix teens, technology, and the perceived<\/em> confidentiality of a fake, private account.<\/p>\n Finstas exist to throw parents and other adults off a teen’s digital path. Also, with semi-anonymity and closed-platform posting comes the potential for cyber bullying, sexting, revenge posting, and amplified drama that can easily spill over from Finsta into the public stream and real life.<\/p>\n Finding your child\u2019s Finsta may be difficult or easy depending on the account name and photo your child chooses to create his or her profile. Allowing your child to have a Finsta account is up to each family. Based on your family ground rules for technology use, you may require your child to provide passwords to all accounts for weekly monitoring. If your trust level is such with your child that you allow a Finsta, a conversation around safety, responsibility, and privacy is\u00a0an excellent idea.<\/p>\n Toni Birdsong is a Family Safety Evangelist<\/a> to McAfee<\/a>. You can find her on Twitter @McAfee_Family<\/a>. (Disclosures<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Creating a Finsta (fake Instagram) account on the popular photo platform, Instagram has become the norm for many teens. After…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":642,"featured_media":209704,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[75,100,2205,321],"coauthors":[3359],"class_list":["post-71518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-safety","tag-cyberbullying","tag-facebook","tag-protecting-kids-online","tag-social-networking"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFamily Talking Points on Finsta Accounts:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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