A group of Adelaide students, some as young as 14, are among thousands around the world who have had their naked pictures posted online after using a controversial mobile phone app.

The Snapchat app leads users to believe their snaps are deleted forever within ten seconds, but many compromising images are finding their way online.

Many users don’t realise that despite claims the pictures will self destruct in ten seconds or less, the receiver can still save them by taking a screen shot with their phone.

About 10 teenagers from a South Australian high school are among those who have learnt the hard way about keeping things private.

Their compromising pictures were posted on Facebook last year.

“The Facebook page was published for people to put up nude photos they’d received from others,” one student told 7News.

“They never thought this would happen to them.”

Police stepped in and the site was removed within a week.

Snapchat’s privacy statement does note the risks associated with using the app.

It says there is no guarantee messages will be deleted and any content that is sent, is done so at the user’s peril.

Experts are warning people that whatever they send out is permanently out there.

“It is actually suggesting to them, ‘hey, it’s okay, you can do it in a way that you won’t get caught’,” said social media expert Melissa De Zwert.