If you’ve ever felt the pressure of a timer next to a snap streak, obsessed over someone’s snap score going up or used Snap Map to check someone’s location, you are amongst the majority of teenagers who can relate. Many teens stress over Snapchat and obsessions with features on the app quickly become unhealthy. The new Snapchat Plus subscription does not help alleviate teen’s stress, instead it amplifies it. It has made Snapchat into an even more toxic app, while effectively raising anxieties to even worse levels.
Snapchat is a main platform for communication, especially for teens. As new apps evolve, Snapchat stays relevant through improvements like its Snapchat Plus subscription, where users can get new features that regular users do not have access to. The subscription starts at $1.99 a month, and while it may seem to be useful at first, it is just another way to take advantage of teen overreaction and anxieties. Snapchat Plus’s new features instigate over involvement on social media with feelings of insecurity, jealousy and worry, making social media as a whole a more toxic environment.
Fun and harmless features like restoring a streak, having cute pet icons, changing chat wallpapers and having custom app themes seem very appealing. Snapchat Plus users have the option to show a Snapchat Plus badge next to their name or to hide the icon, keeping their status a secret. Hiding the icon is not the only sneaky feature Snapchat let’s users have behind a screen. Beneath the surface, Snapchat Plus introduces features that make interactions on the app more invasive and anxiety-inducing.
Some other features Snapchat Plus offers take nosiness and obsession to another level. Those who have Snapchat Plus have access to see friends’ every move. Users can see if someone is in their chat without them knowing, track who is half swiping messages, see who rewatched their stories, track locations more accurately, freeze a snap score, pin a “#1 BFF” and turn on notifications for a specific person who views their story without them knowing. Snapchat, which used to be carefree communication, is now encouraging toxic behaviors for teens like spying and stalking.
A culture of distrust and unnecessary drama is being triggered through Snapchat Plus and it is undeniably toxic. Romantic relationships are suffering because of partners obsessing over Snap Scores, and friendships are being doubted with new chat updates. Arguments of being untrustworthy, which could be resolved through a simple conversation, turn into accusations of half-swiping. It is a breeding ground for insecurity and paranoia because of how heavily monitored users in the app can be at the palm of their peers’ hands.
Teenagers already have an abundance of stressors in their lives as it is, and social media anxieties add on to this already long list. Instead of learning the value of patience and real communication, tools that permit obsessive behaviors are encouraged. Focusing on sports, school or spending time with family and friends is undoubtedly more important than double checking to see if someone half swiped your chat. Instead of letting Snapchat Plus ruin your mental health, embrace the privilege of living in the moment without stalking Snap Map, Snap Scores or half-swiping.
