Issue - meetings

(i)            to note concern that a recent feature to the mobile phone app, Snapchat, allows users to search for and view posts uploaded from schools;

(ii)          to further note that a number of primary and secondary schools in the city were listed using this feature and that the posts available include pictures of young children, some appearing with what appeared to be contact details;

(iii)         to believe that this posed a risk to children;

(iv)         to instruct the Chief Executive to write to the app developers, Snap Inc, outlining the Council’s concerns and requesting all schools within the city to be removed from searchable locations within the app;

(v)          to back the campaign to have all schools removed from searchable locations on Snapchat and that Snapchat introduce urgent safeguards to protect children from the recently added features to the Snapchat app;

(vi)         to instruct officers to report to the appropriate Committee on any future apps with features which they believe could pose a risk to children to ensure that the Committees awareness and that appropriate action was considered; and

(vii)        to instruct the Chief Executive to provide a copy of the Committee’s decision to Cosla and invite Cosla to support the campaign.

The Committee had before it the following notice of motion by Councillor Cameron:-

“That the Committee

1. notes concern that a recent feature to the mobile phone app, snapchat, allows users to search for and view posts uploaded from schools;
2. further notes that a number of primary and secondary schools in the city are listed using this feature and that the posts available include pictures of young children, some appearing with what appears to be contact details;
3. believes that this poses a risk to children
   instruct the Chief Executive to write to the app developers, snap inc, outlining this Council's concerns and requesting all schools within the city to be removed from searchable locations within the app; and
4. backs the campaign to have all schools removed from searchable locations on snapchat and that snapchat introduce urgent safeguards to protect children from the recently added features to the snapchat app.”

The Committee resolved:

(i)            to adopt the terms of the motion;

(ii)          to instruct the Head of Education and Inclusion to report to the appropriate Committee on any future apps with features which they believe could pose a risk to children to ensure Committee awareness and that appropriate action was considered; and

(iii)         to instruct the Chief Executive to provide a copy of the Committee’s decision to COSLA and invite COSLA to support the campaign.