This week continues my regular series “What Parents Should Know.” This week’s entry stems from an update about Instagram which I talked about a couple weeks ago. Have something you’re wondering about? Send me a message and I’ll do my best to find an answer: info@joshgunderson.com

With the purchase of my new phone (I went with a new Droid for those that took interest in my ridiculous struggle to pick a phone) came a bunch of shiny new features to a lot of my apps. I was thrilled to discover that my banking app now allows me to make mobile deposits (more on that later), my camera is amazingly awesome, and Instagram now has video!

With that discovery under my belt, I realized that people more than likely have questions about how this new addition affects the Instagram experience and what parents should know about it.

If you read my entry about Instagram last month, then you are pretty caught up in the ins and outs of the program. Take pictures, filter as desired and share with the world.

Following in the footsteps of Twitter with Vine, Instagram (read: Facebook) decided to add in their own video feature. Unlike Vine, Instagram’s videos can be up to 15 seconds in length and can be filtered (much like photos).

CHECK OUT: What Parents Should Know About Vine

Privacy
If your Instagram is private, your videos will be as well. Profiles on Instagram are still public even though your content is not so it is important to be sure that your kid’s full name or other revealing information isn’t posted on the site. Remember, a lot of people are posting their Kik Usernames as part of their profiles which allows strangers to message them on their phones.

Content
As Instagram is owned by Facebook, the restrictions on mature content are securely in place. It’s even mentioned in their Terms of Service: “While we respect the artistic integrity of photos and videos, we have to keep our product and the content within it in line with our App Store’s rating for nudity and mature content. In other words, please do not post nudity or mature content of any kind.”

In addition to this warning about mature content, users can report anything they deem inappropriate to Instagram and the offending user will be investigated.

Josh, You’re On Instagram?
Oh yeah! I joined Instagram about a year ago and have had a great time with it. My username is TheJoshGunderson if you care to follow. I will warn you, there are a lot of cat pictures. And Disney pictures. You’ve been warned.

If you’re struggling with the idea of letting you child use Instagram (now with video), I don’t blame you. Even though it’s a photo sharing app, issues like bullying and sexting can come up. I suggest having a conversation with your child about appropriate use of the app and let them know you’ll be keeping an eye on their activity (make being a friend a requirement). Let them know what is and isn’t acceptable to be posting on the app- cat sleeping in the bathroom sink, okay. Your front yard, including your home address, maybe not so okay.

Do you have a questions about an app or social networking site? Please feel free to e-mail your questions to info@joshgunderson.com and I will do my best to find you the answer!

Josh Gunderson is an award-winning Bullying Prevention and Social Media Specialist. Josh has appeared on MTV, Comedy and National Geographic. For more information about Josh and his educational programs please visit www.HaveYouMetJosh.com

You can purchase Josh’s book “Cyberbullying: Perpetrators, Bystanders & Victims” on Amazon! Available in paperback or for Kindle.