Last week’s entries about what parents should know about Vine and Instagram (with video) have created an interesting response in my inbox. Many parents want to know- which is better for my kid?

SPOILER ALERT: The winner is going to be Instagram.

Privacy

Both Instagram and Vine give users the ability to keep their content private. By selecting this option (click “Edit My Profile” in Instagram, “Settings” followed by “My Content” on Vine) the only people that can see posts by a user and the ones that have been approved by the user to follow them. If you do not approve a user to follow you, they cannot see anything you are posting but your profile is still public. (I’m not sure how this applies to “revining” a video as its new to the latest update and I’ve had Vine for about two days).

I will also note that, until the most recent Vine update, there was no such thing as privacy on the app. This is important to know because if you are using the app and now wish for your content to be private- you can do so!

Content

The problem I have with Vine (and the reason that it is the loser in this game) is the content. Within minutes of being on the app I was able to locate pornographic material. Lots of it.

Twitter (who owns Vine) has no policy when it comes to inappropriate content on its site. This has lead to a large amount of mature posts onto the app. Though the app does restrict certain words from being used in hash tags (which users can search to find certain content, like puppies, why aren’t there more puppies?) this has just caused “mature” users to get more creative in how they tag posts. On that falls through the cracks is #NSFW (Not Safe For Work) which you can imagine will be posts that you don’t want to be watching at work.

This lack of content filtering is what lead Apple to request that the age limit for Vine be changed from 12+ to 17+. If you have set age restrictions on your child’s device, they won’t be able to download the app.

Facebook (who owns Instagram) has different views when it comes to inappropriate content. They forbid it. Within the Terms of Service for Instagram you will find the following: “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.”

Inappropriate content on Instagram can be reported by users and subsequently investigated and removed by Instagram. Repeat offenders will have their accounts suspended.

So there you have it. If you’re wondering which app is best for your child, I would go with Instagram. You will certainly be able to rest easier knowing that their access to inappropriate material is restricted to the point of non existence (though it’s important to know that borderline inappropriate material can and does exist, it’s likely to be less graphic).

If you’re curious as to which app’s features and interface are the best, I suggest checking out this awesome side-by-side comparison by TechSplurge (I’m also going to take this moment to give them credit for the graphic I used for this post- you’ll recognize it from their entry).

Do you have a preference? Let me know in the comments section below!

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.