Does Your Kid Have a 'Finsta' Account? Why It's a Big Deal

Every kid is obsessed with social media; they have at least one social media account. Not just children, adults are equally into social media; they love to share what they are doing, where they are right now, how their day was, and so on.

Children's obsession with social media is because of their parents. When children see their parents being obsessed with social media, they want to do the same. Instagram is one of the most popular social media among adults and children.

It is one of the most loved apps, as people can share pictures of their own, pictures of food, travel pictures, etc. Children love to make a specific theme for their Instagram feed and post the best picture of themselves to retain their followers.

However, children also love to share some random pictures of themselves to make a private account. With the trend of making multiple accounts among tweens and teens, the buzz of Finsta is increasing.

What is Finsta?

Finsta is not a social media app; it's just a term for fake Instagram accounts. The name Finsta is also derived from the word “fake Instagram”. Finsta is a new trend on Instagram where people are creating their fake Instagram accounts to post any pictures or videos they want.

Many teenagers create their secret Instagram account following only selective people they want to share their pictures and videos with. Finsta is most popular among tweens and teens as they want their parents to know what they do on social media.

Usually, teens make their Finsta private as they do not want to share their posts with all the people on Instagram. Tweens and teens share goofy pictures, indecent and rebellious pictures of themselves and their peers.

While creating a Finsta account, tweens and teens do not like to expose their identity; they add fake names and a clear bio so that it becomes difficult for parents to find the account. And the account is set to private.

Why Do Children Create Finsta?

Parents usually restrict children from being on social media. Even if allowed, they can use it only for a certain time and post whatever parents approve. If you are a strict parent, your kids want to hide things from you because they prefer to create Finsta without letting you know.

Also, if your teens have many followers on Instagram, they want their Instagram feed to be perfect. They need to edit a lot before they upload pictures of themselves. Hence, this creates pressure among teens to share the perfect picture of themselves.

By creating a secret account, teens can post random posts; they do not edit their pictures or upload raw pictures without editing. They can only add their closest friend to their Finsta account. In this account, teenagers do not have to worry about not getting more likes or comments. Tweens and teens can share their inside jokes, goofy pictures, rant in public without fear of being judged.

In addition, teens also create Finsta to post illegal content like drugs, marijuana, alcohol, smoking, sexual pictures, etc. If your kids are involved in such inappropriate activities, they can also create a Finsta account.

Dangers of Having Finsta Account

If your kids have a Finsta account, then it means they are trying to hide things from you. If your kids don't want to show their behavior, they can use a Finsta account. When kids use a secret account to post fun pictures or pictures of their hobbies, there is no danger in having a Finsta account.

But, if your kids are creating a Finsta account to post explicit content, then it can be dangerous for children. Here are the probable dangers of Finsta Account:

Leads to CyberBullying

Having a secret account gives users the freedom to do whatever they want to do. In secret accounts, children do not keep their real name which gives them the freedom to bully others without revealing their identity.

Children feel that no one will know if they write some nasty comments on their friend's picture. Creating a Finsta account provides children a chance to troll one another, harming other people around them.

Might Lead To Emotional Trauma

As I mentioned above, Finsta accounts provide freedom for children to post whatever they want. Children might end up being victims of cyberbullying, and what's worse, if they cannot even share it with their parents, leading to emotional trauma.

Likewise, people whom children have added to their close friend list might misuse their photos and bully them. For instance, when you share your ugly picture, your so-called trusted friends might screenshot and share it with others. This can lead to bullying and teasing and will harm you emotionally as well.

Involvement of Children in Posting Harmful Content

The reason behind creating a Finsta account among teenagers can be to post harmful content like content related to smoking, drugs, sex, bullying, and so on. If your teen is into smoking and drinking, they may post their pictures of smoking and drinking on their Finsta account.

Likewise, children might also use the Finsta account to post private pictures of themselves and their partners. Children can even post some intimate pictures with their partners, and they might not know that once they upload anything on the internet, it will remain there forever. Hence such kinds of posts can be dangerous for children.

Some Harmful Posts Can Go Unnoticed

In the Finsta account, children add only some trusted people. Sometimes your kids might post some hurtful or harmful posts for people. When one cannot report the wrong things, it can encourage your kids to repeat their activity.

Since few people are in the Finsta account, getting ratified or corrected in Finsta is quite not common; hence, sometimes harmful statements or posts go unnoticed in Finsta.

How To Know If My Kids Have a Finsta Account?

Finsta is supposed to be private, which means your children will not say they have a Finsta account. Your children will keep the account secret and follow only their close group of friends on this account. To keep your kids safe from internet danger, you might want to know if they have Finsta or not. Here's how you can know if your kids have a Finsta account or not:

Ask if they have a Finsta account

If you are having doubts about your kids having a Finsta account, you can ask them. If you have a friendly relationship with your child, you can ask them, and it is the best chance for letting your kids be honest with you.

If your kids accept having a Finsta account, you can further proceed with the conversation by asking them why they have a Finsta account and why they need a Finsta account. However, this method might not be accurate all the time as kids might not be honest with you. Or, if your kids are good at lying, then this technique will not work at all.

Keep an eye on their followers

The next method to know if your kids have a Finsta account is by checking their followers' lists. If you keep checking your kid's followers list and follow people your kids follow, you can create your child's Finsta account. Check your kids' real Instagram following list because they follow their secret accounts most of the time.

However, this process can be tricky as your kids use different names while creating their Finsta account. You will not have an idea about the users they are following on Instagram.

Take a Look at the Instagram account

If you succeed at this method, then it is the most effective method of identifying if your kids have a Finsta account or not. If you are a regular Instagram user, you might know the new update of Instagram that lets you switch from one account to another without having to log in or log out.

For this method, you need to use your child's real Instagram and go to their profile. If you find an arrow beside their username on the top, they have a second account logged in. By clicking on the arrow, you will be able to log in to your kid's second Instagram account or maybe a Finsta account.

What Can I Do If My Child Has A Finsta Account?

Many tweens and teens have a secret Instagram account which is also known as a Finsta account. Some children are creating a Finsta account just for fun, while some are creating for a specific purpose; no matter the reason behind children creating a Finsta account, it can worry parents.

So, if you find your child's Finsta account, first of all, ask them the real reason behind creating a Finsta account. It would help if you asked them whether they want to have a Finsta account because of peer pressure or any other reason to create a Finsta account. Also, it would help if you let your kids know what Finsta is and how it can be harmful to teenagers.

Likewise, if your kids say they are on Finsta just for fun, then ask them to add you on their Finsta. If they feel reluctant to add you on their fake Instagram or Finsta, then it's a signal for you.

It would be better for you to teach the dangers of the internet. It would be best to make your kids aware that it will remain there once they upload anything on the internet even though you have deleted it.

Use Parental Control Apps

Lastly, it would be best to use parental control apps to monitor your kid's social media activity. Using the parental control app, you will know what your kids are doing on their phones.

If they are using any fake social media acidity, you can watch it remotely. Parental control apps provide many features; hence parental control is crucial for families with tweens and teens. There are parental control apps for IOS as well as Android.