Does Your Teen Have a Finsta? If Your Child Is On Instagram, Read This Now! by Jodi Revill

Since allowing our son to have an Instagram account, I check it every few days to see what he and his friends are posting and commenting on. Recently, I noticed several of his friends, mostly girls, have second accounts. My son shared that these are finstas, aka fake Instagram accounts. Per Urban Dictionary, these accounts are where people post items “they only want their closest friends to see instead of their regular Instagram (rinsta).”

What I saw was something very different – teens documenting inappropriate activity and sharing photos I’m sure parents would not want their teen posting. It appears their parents don’t follow these accounts.

We are the first generation of parents who are raising our kids in the social media world. Teens fail to realize items posted online will follow them forever – when applying to college or trying to get a job. Even with private accounts it does not mean it won’t show up somewhere on the internet.

Screenshots will hurt your teen every time. Please monitor your teen’s social media on their devices, as they may have blocked you from seeing these finstas when you search on your account. Asking them if they have one isn’t enough.