A new disappearing photo app

You know that feeling when you realize you've been doing something for years and never once stopped to read the fine print? We had that moment this week. We were scrolling through our phones and stumbled down a rabbit hole that honestly kept us up longer than we'd like to admit. And if you're a mom reading this on Mother's Day week, first of all: hi, we love you, you're doing an incredible job in a world that keeps moving the goalposts. Second: this one's for you, because staying informed IS part of the job now, whether anyone hands you a trophy for it or not.

Nobody warned us that parenting in 2026 would mean keeping up with app updates, privacy policies, and AI features rolling out faster than we can finish a cup of hot coffee. But here we are. And we'd rather know than not know… and we'd rather you know too. That's the whole point of this little corner of the internet we've built together.

So this week in The Rundown, your Google Photos app just got a significant AI upgrade that you need to understand, and Instagram is testing a new disappearing photo app that has Snapchat written all over it. Let's get into it.

Instagram Is Testing a New Disappearing Photo App and We Have Thoughts

Instagram is testing a new standalone app called Instants. Available right now in Spain and Italy, the app lets users share photos that can only be viewed once and disappear within 24 hours. Sound familiar? It's essentially a mashup of Snapchat and BeReal, and while Meta is framing it as a fun, casual way to share moments with friends, we think it's worth taking a beat to ask the obvious question… have we learned nothing?

Disappearing content has always been a feature that kids gravitate toward precisely because it feels like it leaves no trace. It lowers inhibitions and creates a sense of "this won't follow me" that isn't always accurate. It also opens the door to sharing things they otherwise might not. We've all seen where this road goes, and it's not always pretty.

The thing is, your child may not even have this app yet, especially since it hasn't launched in North America, and you might not allow them to download it once it does become available. But their friends might have access down the road, which means your kid is likely going to encounter content from it even if it's not on their device. This is exactly why conversations matter as much as controls do. At The Common Parent, we always say that no safety setting replaces an open door, and this is a good reminder of that.

What you can do:

Even if Instants hasn't hit your country yet, it's time to have the conversation. Talk to your kids about what apps their friends are using because even if your child doesn't have it on their phone, they are likely seeing the content through friends who do. That means they need to know what it is, how it works, and what your family's boundaries are before they encounter it.

The very least you can do right now is make sure any new app download on your child's phone requires your approval first.

• On iPhone, you can set this up through Screen Time under Content and Privacy Restrictions.

• On Android, Google Family Link does the same. Make it a rule before the app arrives, not after.

We walk parents through this step-by-step in our Screen Sense Guide. If you’re looking for a little more support when it comes to getting the safety settings foundation right, this guide is for you.

Google's AI Is Now Scanning Your Family Photos (And Your Kids' Too)

If you use Google Photos (and a lot of us do, because it's free and convenient and backs everything up automatically) you should know that Google has rolled out a major update that allows its AI system, Gemini, to scan your entire photo library to build what the company calls "Personal Intelligence." This means your photos are no longer just stored. They are being analyzed and folded into a broader behavioural profile. Google has confirmed the system can use actual images of you and your loved ones to generate AI content, and one of the features it touts is that users no longer need to manually upload reference photos because Gemini already has them. YIKES.

Google has been clear that this feature requires users to opt in, and we want to make sure we shared that too. But where it gets complicated for parents is around implicit consent. When your child has access to a platform and that platform rolls out a new feature with a pop-up asking if they'd like to opt in, the assumption is that they'll read it carefully and understand the implications before tapping yes. We all know that's not how it works. Kids tap through pop-ups the same way most of us skip to the bottom of a terms and conditions page. They just want to use the thing.

What you can do:

The most important step is to understand the tools your child actually has access to. Go into your child's Google account settings together and look at what's connected, what's enabled, and what AI features have been turned on.

Have a real conversation about what it means when an app asks for permission to use your photos or your data. Explain that if a pop-up appears asking to opt into a new feature, that pop-up is asking for something real, and it's worth pausing to find out what. The goal is to help them understand that every "yes" they tap has a consequence, and they get to decide if they're okay with it.

To every mom reading this on the week of Mother's Day: we see you. We see you trying to stay on top of a digital world that changes faster than you can refresh the page, while also making lunches and remembering permission forms and googling "is this app safe" at midnight. That is parenting in 2026, and it is a lot.

Here's the thing we want you to hold onto this week: you don't have to know everything. You just have to stay curious and keep the lines of communication open with your kids. The parents who are doing it well aren't the ones with every setting locked down perfectly, they're the ones whose kids know they can come to them when something feels off. That's the job. And you're doing it.

Happy (early) Mother's Day from our families to yours. Go do something that has absolutely nothing to do with screen time this weekend.

—Cat & Nat