You May Also Enjoy The Likee App: A Parent’s Guide. Why Parents Should Worry: With Look, strangers can message kids pretty easily, and because there are no content filters, kids can come across inappropriate content. Although the Holla terms of service state that users must be 13 to create an account and that anyone under 18 needs parental permission due to the opportunity to view unknown content, in reality there are no age verification methods so it’s easy for tweens or teens to create an account. What parents need to know BIGO has a lot of mature content, including sexy talk and clothing, and users' comments are often predatory and explicit. The filters and special effects allow users to alter pictures. Apps parents should be aware of as students return to school. For more information on Tiktok, check out our Complete Parent's Guide to TikTok. Badoo is a dating and social networking app where users can chat, share photos, videos and connect based on location. However the app does use your location and allows other users to add a school or group but it doesn’t ask for photos or email addresses. FamilyEducation is part of the FEN Learning family of educational and reference sites for parents, teachers and students. Live streaming can be problematic, especially if a young person is influenced to share too much personal information or inappropriate content to gain more viewers or likes. This is a place where bullying, nudity, violence, and profanity is common. Users interact with each other as avatars. 21 apps parents should look out for on their kids' phones Authorities are warning parents to be aware of what apps their children are using. 15 Apps Parents Should Be Aware Of Written by projectb3 Published August 20, 2019 This past month, (August 2019) Police Departments around the country have released a very helpful list of apps for parents to be aware of. Users can send video (of course), test, emojis and gifs. It calls itself “the most honest place on the internet.” This app is extremely popular in middle schools and high schools and it allows kids to ask and answer questions anonymously. Make a rule that your child must ask for permission before downloading any apps — even free ones — just so you're aware of them. Teenagers and pre-teens are busy maturing and growing. Sign up now and get our FREE newsletters packed with fun ideas and … Click through to see some of the sites and apps tweens and teens are flocking to these days, and get useful tips for protecting your child from cyberbullying and other online safety hazards. The app encourages users to allow anonymous people to ask them questions and other users can answer. Why Parents Should Worry: The app is rated ages 17+, but there is no age verification so anyone can download it. Users can make money by encouraging ‘viewers’ to buy gifts/coins to turn into cash. Photos of anyone who is not an adult cannot be posted, including photos of any adult users with a child. Why Parents Should Worry: Hurtful messages from cyberbullies can be even more biting when they're spoken and can be played repeatedly. It has a similar feel to the now-defunct PostSecret app, which was discontinued shortly after its release because it filled up with abusive content. It’s a good idea to advise your child that if they are in a group chat with someone they don’t know and are uncomfortable with, they should exit the group and speak to you about it. Special effects can be added to the videos. So if your teen or tween uses Snapchat, they may well be using YOLO. All of this means that adults can connect easily with minors, and the app’s ability to stay connected as ‘Friends’ allows predators to use this app. Although a user cannot control who adds them to a group chat, they can always control their own participation within it – they can leave whenever they want to. The Game by Hot or Not app is designed to rate your popularity based on how others rate your profile (which includes a picture). We've compiled the ultimate list of the sites and apps tweens and teens are flocking to in 2019. Tell us a little bit about your brand or business now to see how we can help or call us on +353 1 254 4150. MeetMe is a dating social media app that allows users to connect with people based on geographic proximity. There are several so-called “secret” apps parents should be aware of that are used to hide photos, videos, files and browser history. 6 apps parents need to be aware of. This is particularly an issue if they are added to group conversations by other friends, so they can end up having contacts on their phone who they have never met face to face. They can also draw on and use filters on their videos. Also, its focus on status and spending money, as opposed to creativity and talent, makes it feel shallow. Kids have been known to use Bumble to create fake accounts, giving a false age. Users can create short music videos of 3 to 15 seconds and short looping videos of 3 to 60 seconds. While it allows for creative expression, it can also take overly personal content viral. Got a technical issue? While the app promises users can take a photo/video and it will disappear, features including stories allow users to view content for up to 24 hours, allowing ample time to screenshot and share. While some are harmless, others pose threats that we may not even be aware about. Reply. The app developers planned for teens to use this app as a method to share light-hearted fun images without going public and most do use Snapchat for this purpose. Top 10 Obscure Apps parents need to be aware of 1. You may be surprised to see that WhatsApp is one of the apps parents should be aware of. Because of the anonymous aspect of the way YOLO poses questions, this can lead to potential problems and is what merits it being added to our list of apps that parents should be aware of. YouTube also has a known pedophile problem which is major cause for concern. You May Also Enjoy How Many of These 127 Secret Teen Codes Do You Know? When your child wants to join a new social media platform, go through the security settings together to choose the ones you're most comfortable with. What does Advice for Parents on Cyber Bullying mean to your tween or teen? Tinder helps people find others in their geographic location and allows users to view each others' photos and start instant messaging once both people have "liked" one another. You can set up age limits on your child's device. You also can’t control the topic of … Don’t Miss: One for the Fridge – 10 Tips for Practical Internet Safety. When you connect YOLO to your account, you can add an “ask me anything” sticker to your Snapchat Story that invites your followers to just swipe up and give you feedback or ask questions anonymously. Purpose: This app allows users to interact in a question-and-answer format — with friends, peers, and anonymous users alike. Although Badoo is free, there are many options for paid subscriptions and other in-app purchases. The apps most popular among teens and tweens may seem harmless, however, special agents with the FBI tell WAAY 31 there are real safety concerns that parents need to be aware of. 9 Apps And Websites Parents Should Know to Protect Their Kids’ Online Security. Do all these new social media apps mean that Facebook and Twitter are in decline? Information on our advertising guidelines can be found. Users are able to block other users. Grindr is a dating app for men looking to connect with other men for friendship, companionship or sexual encounters. Discuss how peer pressure can lead to people doing and saying (both in person and online) mean, hurtful, dangerous or untrue things. Are you unsure which apps are safe for your kids and teens to use? The “Live” feature allows users to watch or stream live video on the app. Others use messaging apps like Kik or Whatsapp, or apps meant for entertainment like Snapchat and Tiktok. The figures were released as O2 and the NSPCC relaunched Net Aware, a website designed for parents to learn more about the latest apps, sites and games their children are using, … Purpose: Tinder's developers describe the app as "the fun way to connect with new and interesting people around you." Purpose: This walkie-talkie PTT (push-to-talk) app allows users to quickly exchange short voice messages. This is one of the best ways of learning and understanding what it’s about. Purpose: Look is a free video messaging app. Your kids may do things that put themselves or others at risk. It’s designed to help strangers, ages 17 and up, connect based on similar interests and location. Kids can bypass traditional text messaging features. Why Parents Should Be Worried: There's no screening and the video is live, so there's nothing to keep kids from inappropriate content. 2. But it turns out that Snapchat pics don't completely disappear from a device, and users can take a screenshot before an image vanishes in the app. Twitter is more popular among African American teens than Hispanic and white teens. Purpose: Vsco is a photo creation app that gives users the tools to shoot, edit and post images to a profile, kind of like Instagram. Charise Rohm Nulsen is a writer, social media influencer, activist, and perpetual volunteer. Users can send links via chat and even take screenshots. We all use apps on our smart devices, but if you have a tween or a teen who uses any apps it’s good to be on top of what apps they use. The answers to these may be the start of more conversations you need to have. The site doesn’t monitor content, which opens the door for content that’s inappropriate – and that’s very, very easy to find. But police warn predators are using MeetMe. Purpose: This 17+ app's motto is: "Share Secrets, Express Yourself, Meet New People." It allows anyone to post anonymous comments and questions to a person’s profile and is increasingly being used as a means to communicate abusive, bullying and sexualised content. But Skout also offers other ways to meet new people. But it's mainly used as a dating tool or an anonymous hook-up (read: one-night stand) locator by 20-somethings, college students, and even younger teens and tweens. Plus, we have useful tips for protecting your child from cyberbullying and other online safety hazards. There are some apps parents should be aware of, that can put their kids at risk. It's for … Got a suggestion for us? The geo-location features and anonymous nature of the app put kids at risk for catfishing, sexual harassment, stalking, and worse. In response to the uproar in the U.K., the site added a button where users can report abuse, but some parents feel it's too little, too late. The app also shows a user's location. But it begs the question: Should teens be texting with people beyond their phone contacts? The software automatically filters web content for each user based on whether they fit the Child, Pre-Teen, Teen, or Adult profile. Why Parents Should Worry: The app is rated ages 13+ and is most popular in Europe but is catching on in the U.S. Try out the apps yourself and get your tween or teen to show you the basics. With school just around the corner, we wanted to share with Parents, 15 Apps you should be aware of on your child's phone/tablet .. and the dangers that come with some of them. The 2013 Pew survey found that 24 percent of online teens are on Twitter, up from 16 percent in 2011. Why Parents Should Be Worried: Thirteen is the minimum age, but there isn’t a real way to validate age so anyone can download the app. This means that adults can enter the teenage section, and kids can stumble into the adult section just by signing up with a different age. Users can vlog about their lives, live stream video game play, and host their own shows. There is a Chat Now feature that randomly pairs users with other users and can lead to inappropriate pairings and interactions.