A delete button for social media

BackPeddle is a new app that lets users control what they share on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ and for how long.

BackPeddle is a new app that lets users control what they share on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ and for how long.

The free app, launched on Friday for iOS and Android, is designed to help people deal with managing and juggling content and permissions and even regrets across a growing number of social media networks and to give parents peace of mind.

'Social media users can now share their photos and videos with less worry about how it may impact their future,' said Natalie Ross, co-founder and general manager of BackPeddle. 'As a parent, this provides tremendous relief as my children embark on building their social identities. BackPeddle provides a forum through which individuals can take, upload and share photos and videos with the people you choose. You decide how long your content is available, whether you set an expiration or change your mind down the road.'

Essentially a filter, BackPeddle can be used to post to the main social media sites and to set an expiry date, be it a couple of minutes or a couple of years. Once the time has passed, the content, be it a comment, video or photo will be automatically removed from all social networks where it was posted. Even if it has since been re-posted.

But the fun doesn't end there. As well as controlling a user's Twitter, Facebook or Google+ account, the app can be used as a standalone social network, sharing content between other users; or like Snapchat, for sending and receiving ephemeral text, image and video messages.

The sender can set an expiry time of 5, 10, 15 or 30 seconds and the recipient will be unable to view the message unless he or she has two fingers touching the screen at the time -- a novel way of stopping people from taking screenshots.