The negative effects of Snapchat are taking over the minds of users, therefore Snapchat should be permanently banned in all countries. 

Initially, founders Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown created Snapmap as a way for friends to easily track each other. Unfortunately, now it has led to users feeling left out when they see friends together without them. 

Jenna Sachs, a student at the University of Elon, studied the effects on adolescents who check Snapmap daily. She found that 90% of these teens reported increased feelings of anxiety, loneliness and fear of missing out the more they checked the map. 

Snapchat filters have created a false reality of beauty, creating insecurity in users and leading to increased plastic surgery procedures. According to the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery gave a survey to patients asking what inspired them to have surgery. They found that “over 55% of the patients wanted to undergo surgery to mimic how they look in selfies.” 

This issue is so large that Cosmetology centers around the world have named this “Snapchat dysmorphia,” which is when patients want to look exactly like the fake version of themself they see in the camera. 

Snapchat’s lack of parental controls and guidelines makes it easy for children to be exposed to inappropriate content. According to the Children’s Society, “Snapchat opens the door to more serious contact, such as grooming and sexual abuse.” 

The organization found that there has been an 82% rise in online grooming crimes against children in the last 5 years, 79% of these crimes have been involved with Snapchat. Putting children as young as 13 years old in direct contact with inappropriate content can have a negative effect on their mental health. 

Snapchat is dangerous, and studies can prove that. Snapchat takes away self-confidence, increases anxiety and exposes danger. These issues are serious, and the only solution is for the app to be banned.