More than half of Snapchat users have received 'inappropriate' images

App enjoys continuing popularity with new update for iPhones, overtaking Instagram as photo sharing

Snapchat lets users send pictures or video that 'self-destructs' after a set period

A poll carried out in the UK found that more than half of Snapchat users had received an ‘inappropriate picture’ whilst using the app.

67% of respondents said they’d received images of ‘inappropriate poses or gestures’; 47% had received nude pictures and a further 11% claimed to have seen images of 'criminal acts'.

The messaging app for Android and iPhones allows users to set timers on pictures and video so that sent messages will automatically delete themselves from recipient phones.

The poll, carried out by VoucherCodesPro, asked 1,345 men and women aged between 18 and 30 and living throughout the UK.

It also asked questions about individuals’ habits of how they used the app, with the majority – 64% - saying they sent ‘selfies’, whilst 54% said they just took images of things they found ‘amusing’.

The app also released a new update for iPhone yesterday, introducing new features allowing users to double-tap to reply, in-app profiles, and better tools for finding friends. The UI also uses swipe navigation to change from taking snaps, to your inbox, to your friends.

Although the app has been criticized for enabling sexting amongst the younger generations, other commentators have applauded the ‘self-destruct’ feature, arguing that if teens are going to be sending inappropriate images anyway, far better that they use a service that offers some attempt at privacy.