Teens like these social networking APPs… here is ... · Users often post their Kik usernames on...
Transcript of Teens like these social networking APPs… here is ... · Users often post their Kik usernames on...
TeenslikethesesocialnetworkingAPPs…hereiseverythingyouneedtoknowaboutthem.
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
ASKfm
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:13+
AQ&A-basedwebsiteandappthatenablesuserstoaskandanswercontroversialquestionsanonymously.ItishighlyintegratedwithsiteslikeFacebook,TumblrandTwitter.
Itgiveskidsanotherreasontotalkaboutthemselves,otherthaninthecommentsectionoftheirownselfies–notsureifthisisapro?!
Theopportunityforbullyingisaconcern,andithasbeenlinkedtoanumberofsuicides.
AlthoughitmaynotbeashugeasInstagramorSnapchat,it'sonetowatch.Anysitethatallowsannonymouspostsshouldringalarms.
Down
SigninviaFacebook(13)CommonSenseMedia:18+
UserspickFacebookfriendswhomtheythinkare“sexy”,andifthefriendisalsoattractedtothem,theappletsthemknowtheyareboth“downtobang”–eithertomeetupforadateortohavesex.
Ittriestopromotesexualityasahealthy,natural,andcrucialaspecttorelationships.
Thisplatformprovidesasecretwaytohookupwithand“getdatesorgetdown”withpeoplenearby.YourDOWNScore(attractivenessrating)iscalculatedbythenumberofviewsyougetandthe'GetDown/GetDate'swipes/clicks.
Notsuitableforkids!Anysitethatallowsannonymousposts,orpromotessecrecy,shouldringalarms!Thesearenotorioushubsforsexualpredators.
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:15+
Oneofthemostpopular,originalsocialnetworkingsitestopostpictures,text,orvideos,thatiscurrentlyseeingarevival.
OntheSafetypage,parentscanaccessdirectionsaboutsettingupasecureaccount,readabouthowtopreventonlinebullying,andgetparentingtipsaroundhelpingkidsusesocialmediaresponsibly.
There'salsoaYouthPortalthat'smeanttohelpteensunderstandhowtousethesite,controltheirinformation,andprotecttheirprivacyandsafety.
TeenscaneasilyaccessdodgyFBsites.Theycanalsowatchlive-streamvideowithFacebookLive,connectwithgoodsandservicesonoffer,andlive-chatviaMessenger.
Guidanceneedstobegiventokidsontheconsequencesofcreatingapermanentandpublicdigitalprofilethroughwhattheypostandwhattheycommentonorlike.Publicprofilesforteensareano-go!
Flickr
AppStore:13CommonSenseMedia:15+
Apopularplaceforteenstostore,manage,andsharedigitalphotosandvideosonline.
Userscanuploadphotosorvideosfromdifferentsourcesinaprivategroup,toenableeasysharing–makessharingpartypicseasy!
Themaindownsideisthatit'seasytoaccessotheruser’sposts,enablingkidstofindthingsyoumaynotwantthemtosee.
Parentsneedtomakesuretheprivacysettingsareset–publicprofilesforteensareano-go!Thegeo-locationfeatureshouldbeturnedofftomitigateonlinesexualpredatorrisk.
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
Houseparty
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:14+
Asocialnetworkingservicethatenablesgroupvideochattingthroughmobileanddesktopapps.Usersreceiveanotificationwhenfriendsareonlineandavailabletogroupvideochat.Theappisintendedforteenswhoarekeenonsocialmediabutarenotoldenough.
SimilartoFaceTime,butyoucanchattomultiplepeopleatthesametime.
Encouragesface-to-faceinteractionwithfriends!
Canalsobeusedtosendmessages,soparentsneedtobeawareofthis!Youneedtobeinvitedtothegrouptochat,creatingthedangerofexclusion,generatingself-doubt,alotofanxietyandfearofmissingoutinthoseexcluded.Theoneswhoarenotinvitedtothe“party”knoworfearthatthey’renotincludedbecausethegroupistalkingaboutthem.Becauseanyoneinthegroupcanaddanyoneelse,yourchildmaybespeakingtosomeonetheydon’tknow,viaafriend.
Asthefeedislive,thepotentialformisuse,inadvertentandunexpectedexposuretoinappropriatecontentishigh.ThisApphasbeenlinkedtosexualpredatorsduetotheeasewithwhichstrangerscanmakecontact.
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:15+
Awellorganisedplatformtoshare(filtered)photosandvideoswithfollowers,whereuserstrytogainfollowersandgetcontent“liked.”
OnaservicereferredtoasIGTV,userscan
Settingsallowuserstosendprivatemessagesormakeaccountsprivate.ThegreenstatusdotshowingwhetheryouareactiveontheAppcanalsobeturnedoff.
Userscanremove
Teenswhoaremostsusceptibletoaneedforvalidationorfame,mayfeelpressuretopresentthemselvesinawaythatisnotreflectiveoftheirtruelivesorcharacters.TinderuserscanaccessotherTinderusers'Instagramfeedsdirectly(evenonprivateInstagramfeeds),ifTinder
Ahealthysenseofself-worthisrequiredtousethisApp–keepremindingyourkidsthatnobodypoststhebadtimes!Guidanceneedstobegiventokidsontheconsequencesofcreatingapermanentandpublicdigitalprofilethroughwhattheypostandwhattheycommentonorlike.
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
subscribetootherpeople'svideocollectionscalled“channels”(likeYouTube).
followers,turnoffcommentsandmutefollowers.
TheYourActivityfeatureshowshowmuchtimeyou'vespentusingtheApp,andletsyousettimelimitsforyourself!
integrationisenabled.Userprofilealgorithmsarestronglyintegrated,sousersaretargetedbyproductmarketing,andcanmakepurchasesdirectlyfrombuylinksintheapp.
Parentsneedtomakesuretheprivacysettingsareset–publicprofilesforteensareano-go!Thegeo-locationfeatureshouldbeturnedofftomitigateonlinesexualpredatorrisk.ParentsshouldalsobeawarethatInstagramiswidelyusedtosharepornographyandwellastobuyandselldrugs.
Kik
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:17+
Popularinstantmessagingplatformtosendtext,images,andvideo.Offersawiderangeofactivities,includingsurfingthewebfromwithintheapp,sketching,chattingwithstrangers,makingin-apppurchases,andsendingvirtualgreetingcards.
CanbeusedasanalternativetoSMSasunlimitedtextsarefree,besidesnormaldatausagecharges.Requiresonlyausernameratherthanaphonenumber.
StrangerscaneasilystartconversationswithkidsandthisApphasareputationforbeingusedinpredatorycrimes.
UsersoftenposttheirKikusernamesonothersocialmedia(likeInstagram),whichmaygivestrangersaccesstoateen’sprofile.
Notsuitableforkids!
Nottalkingtostrangersisoneofthefirstthingsweteachourkids.
Kidsmaybeexposedtohighlysexualized,inappropriatecontentthatincludesgraphicimages.
ThisApphasbeenlinkedtosexualpredatorsduetotheeasewithwhichstrangerscanmakecontact.
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
Meetme
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:18+
Aflirting,dating,entertainment,andsocialnetworkingapp,whereallmemberscanseeyourprofile.
Hasastrongfocusonmeetingpotentialdates,whoarealsocompletestrangers.
Userscanchat,e-mailandvideochattoeachotherthroughthesite.
Besideshugesafetyandprivacyconcerns,userprofilepicturespromotenudity,downingalcohol,smokingandtakingdrugs.
A“blinddate”gamemeasuresyourcompatibilitywithotherplayersandgivesyouanoptiontoe-mailthemattheend.
Notsuitableforkids!Nottalkingtostrangersisoneofthefirstthingsweteachourkids.Kidsmaybeexposedtohighlysexualized,inappropriatecontentthatincludesgraphicimages.Itisnotoriouslylinkedtosexualpredatorsduetotheeasewithwhichstrangerscanmakecontact.
Omegle
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:18+
Anappandwebsitethatinvitesusersto“talktostrangers!”
KidsareabletoconnectthisApptotheirFacebookaccount.
Userscanchattoeachotherthroughthesite.
Theapporwebsitepickspartnersatrandom,orconnectsthembasedoninterest,andenablesone-on-onechatsinaprivatechatroom,thatstartoffanonymouslybutenablemoreandmoreinformationtobeshared.
Notsuitableforkids!Nottalkingtostrangersisoneofthefirstthingsweteachourkids.Kidsmaybeexposedtohighlysexualized,inappropriatecontentthatincludesgraphicimages.ThisAppisahavenforsexualpredators.
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
ooVoo
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:16+
Anappandwebsitethatenablesvideochattingwithupto12friends(orstrangers!),sendvideomessages,recordanduploadvideostoYouTube,andusetheinstantmessagingfeature.
Enablesgroupvideochats,evenifusersareusingdifferentplatforms.
Alsoenablestextsandcalls.
Userscanblockotherusersandreportthemforharassingbehavior.
Safetyandprivacyconcernsincludethefactthatkidscanbecontactedbystrangers.
Payattentiontowhomyourkidsarechattingwith!Parentsneedtomakesuretheprivacysettingsaresettolimitorrestrictpublicaccess,otherwiseanyonecansearchfor,see,andcontactthem.
Periscope
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:17+
Avideo-streamingappthatenablesuserstolive-streamrightfromtheirphoneviaTwitter.
Allowsviewerstosend"hearts"tothebroadcasterbytappingonthemobilescreenasaformofappreciation.
Whenauserhitsrecord,anyonethatusesthisappcanpotentiallywatchthemlive.
Thereisaprivatebroadcastsetting,whichshouldbeused.
Notsuitableforkids!Asthefeedislive,thepotentialformisuse,inadvertentandunexpectedexposuretoinappropriatecontentishigh.
Snapchat
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:
Apopularphotoandvideomessagingplatformwitha"self-destructing"featurewherecontentisdeletedafterbeingviewed.
Easytouse,withfunfeatureslikephotodoodling,captions,andfilters.
A"DoNotDisturb"featureallowsusersto
Ithasanotoriousreputationasa“sexting”app.
ThedisappearingcontentisabigpartofwhatmakestheAppsoappealing.However,itdoesn’tcompletely“disappear,”butcan
ThisappisdesignedtoHIDEinformation–parentsneedtoaskthemselveswhytheirteenwouldneedit,andhowtheywouldbeabletomonitorit?
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
16+
mutethreadswithoutoutrightblockinganyone.
liveoninscreenshotsanddatarecovery.
The“Snapstreaks”feature,wherebyusersareencouragedtokeeptradingsnapswithinatimeperiod,increasestheaddictivefactorofthisApp.
Teenswhobelievethatsnapsdisappeararemorelikelytoengageinriskyorinappropriatebehavior.
Thegeo-locationfeatureshouldbeturnedofftoavoidbeingpinnedona“SnapMap”.
Tango
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:16+
Aninteractivevideoplatformforlivecontent,messaging,music,videosandgames.Thisappoffersfreevideoandphonecalls,messagingandgroupchatsforupto50people.
Videocallsarelimitedtoone-to-one,butchatscanincludeupto300peopleatonce.
Toaddfriends,userscansearchphonecontacts,andpotentiallymakecontactwithstrangersanywhereintheworld.Monetisationoflivevideofeedsisincentivised,addingtotheaddictionfactor.
Asalways,parentsneedtobeawareofwhotheirchildischattingwith!Asthefeedislive,thepotentialformisuse,inadvertentandunexpectedexposuretoinappropriatecontentishigh.Thereisaprivatebroadcastsetting,whichshouldbeused.
Telegram
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:17+
AnAppthatdoesalotmorethanatypicaltextingapp,andiscompletelyfreewithnoadvertisements.
Upto5,000friendscanbeaddressedinonesinglegroupmessage.Uniquetomostmessagingapps,allthetextsandphonecallsareencrypted,andany
Userscandeletetextsandsetupsecretchatsthatdissolvemessagesonatimer.Userscanalsocreatetheirowncustom“stickers”thatcanbesharedandpostedfreely,andtheyoftenhappentocontain
Payattentiontowhomyourkidsarechattingwith!Parentsneedtomakesuretheprivacysettingsaresetandthegeo-locationfeatureturnedoff.
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
filetypecanbesentupto1.5GBinsize.
porn.
TikTok(mergedwithmusical.ly)
Appstore:13(withapprovalfromparentifunder18)CommonSenseMedia:16+
AcontroversialAppwhereuserscanwatchandrecordvideosofthemselveslip-synching,singingordancingtopopularmusicandsoundbitesLikeYouTube,thisAppisaninteractiveworldofvideosthatletsyouconnectwithfriendsandadmirersthroughlikes,comments,andevenduets.
Allowsuserstosettheiraccountsas"private".Userscanchoosewhetheranyotheruser,oronlytheir"friends",mayinteractwiththemthroughtheappviacomments,messages,or"react"or"duet"videos.
Becauseitallowsuserstocommunicatebyvideowithpeopleaboutwhomtheyknownothing,privacyconcernsandthepotentialforexposuretosexualpredatorsarebig.ThisApphasbeenassociatedwithendemiccyberbullying,includingracistandanti-Semiticabuse.
Payattentiontowhomyourkidsarechattingwith!Nottalkingtostrangersisoneofthefirstthingsweteachourkids.Parentsneedtomakesuretheprivacysettingsaresetandthegeo-locationfeatureturnedoff.OtherthanRestrictedMode,there'snowaytofilteroutcontentonTikTok,soparentsareencouragedtoshareanaccountwithkids.
Tumblr
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:15+
Oneoftheweb'smostpopularbloggingplatforms,enablingtext,audio,dialogue,photosandvideos.Alotofteenshavetradedintheir
LikeSnapchatandInstagram,TumblrislargelydominatedbyvisualcontentandhasbecomeafavouriteplatformforanimatedGIFsharing.Thereisa"SafeMode"
TheAppenablesawiderangeofuser-generatedcontentincludingproductads,porn,imagesofdrugandalcoholuse,politicalrantsandoffensivelanguage.IthasdevelopedanotoriousreputationasapornsharingApp,especiallylateatnight,withusers
Postsarepublicbydefaultandthere'sonlyoneprivacysetting,onlyavailableonthewebsite,nottheapp-userscanturnofftheoptiontoletothersfindtheirblogthroughanemailaddress.
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
FacebookaccountsforaTumblrbloginstead.
settingthatcanbeusedtofiltercontent.
findingitdifficulttoblockcreepytrollersfromtheirblogs.
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:15+
Amicrobloggingsocialnetwork,whichisahubforreal-timenewsandconnectingwithhigh-profileindividualsandcelebrities.
Simpletouseandaccessfromamobiledevice.Thevisualcomponentofembeddedmultimedia,suchasphotos,articles,andvideos,intweetsattractsusers.
Thoughuserscandeletetweets,ifotherusershaverepostedthemwithacommentoftheirown,thosetweetswillremain.Parentsneedtobeawarethatgroupprivatechatcanbesetup,notvisibletooutsideusers.TheAppenablesspammingofcontent,muchofwhichisoffensiveandinappropriate.Itisalsoincreasinglybeingusedasapromotionaltoolformarketingofproductsandcelebrities.
Guidanceneedstobegiventokidsontheconsequencesofcreatingapermanentandpublicdigitalprofilethroughwhattheypostandwhattheycommentonorlike.Payattentiontowhomyourkidsarefollowingandchattingwith!Parentsneedtomakesuretheprivacysettingsaresetandthegeo-locationfeatureturnedoff.
uMentioned
Appstore:12CommonSenseMedia:18+
PromotedasacollegeoruniversityApptogetthe“juicieststories,darkestsecrets,andfunniestmoments”oncampus.
Enablescollegeoruniversitystudentstowidentheirfriendshipcircle.
Enablesthesharingofthoughts,questionsandconfessionsanonymously.Allowsuserstoanonymouslyflirtandmakenewfriendswithpeoplenearby,urgingusersto“nevermissachancetoexpressyourselfasitsallanonymousuntil
Notsuitableforkids!Anysitethatallowsannonymouspostsshouldringalarms!Thesearenotorioushubsforcyberbullyingandsexual
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
youarereadytorevealyourself”. predators.WeChat
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:16+
Feature-richmessagingandcallplatformandoneoftheworld'smostwidelyusedsocial-networkingplatforms.Offersfunin-appgames,stickers,and“FriendRadar”tofindnearbyusers.
Userscanconnectwithfriendsaroundtheworld.
SafetyandprivacyconcernsincludethefactthatstrangerscancontactusersbyaddingtheirWeChatID,unlesstheusermanuallyturnsofftheFriendRadar.
Payattentiontowhomyourkidsarechattingwith!Nottalkingtostrangersisoneofthefirstthingsweteachourkids.Parentsneedtomakesuretheprivacysettingsaresetandthegeo-locationfeatureturnedoff.
Appstore:16CommonSenseMedia:16+
Widelyusedplatformfortext,image,video,andaudiomessaging,aswellasvoiceandvideocalls.
Userscanconnectwithfriendsaroundtheworld.Allowsunlimitedmessagesandinternationalcallingtorelativesorfriendsabroad.
Pushesuserstoadd“friends”,andyourteen(andtheirphonenumber)caneasilybeaddedtogroupchatswithfriends-of-friends,withoutconsent.Usershavetheabilitytosendanycontent,includingdisappearingphotos,videos,andGIFsthroughtheStatusfeature.Messagescanalsobedeleted.
Payattentiontowhomyourkidsarechattingwith!Nottalkingtostrangersisoneofthefirstthingsweteachourkids.Parentsneedtomakesuretheprivacysettingsaresetandthegeo-locationfeatureturnedoff.
YouNow
Appstore:13Common
Alivevideo-streamingandchatApp,whereusersregisterthroughFaceBook,TwitterorGoggle+.
Usersbroadcastthemselvesliveandcanseeandrespondtolivechatorviewotherbroadcastersandchatwiththem.Thenumberofviewersisshown,and
Asthefeedislive,thepotentialformisuse,inadvertentand
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
SenseMedia:17+
broadcasterscanstarttrendingiftheyhavelotsofviewers.Userscanbuygoldbarstousetosendgiftstootherbroadcasters.Videosareonlyavailableliveandcan'tbeaccessedafterafewdays,however,alluser-generatedcontentisretainedandstoredbythedevelopers,sothecontentdoesn'tactuallydisappear.
unexpectedexposuretoinappropriatecontentishigh.ThisApphasbeenlinkedtosexualpredatorsduetotheeasewithwhichstrangerscanmakecontact.
YouTube
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:13+
Apopularvideo-sharingsiteandapp.
Theappincludesafeaturethatletsyouseehowmuchtimeyou'vespentwatchingvideos,andyoucansetreminderstoturnoffauto-playandtakeabreak.YouTubedoesofferparentstheabilitytofilteroutobjectionablecontentandcommentsusingSafetyMode.However,SafetyModedoesn'tcatcheverything,andit'seasytodisable.
Potentiallyablackholeformobiledataandtime!Beawarethatvirtuallyanythingcanbeaccessed–porn,substanceabuse,suicidetutorials…younameit,itisthere.Channelownerscanalsodistributelivecontent,andcanlaunchlivestreamsatwill.ParentsshouldknowthattheAppallowsin-appmessagingbetweenusers.Tosearchyourkids’viewinghistory,youneedtosearchwithintheAppitself,nottheinternet
Plentyofinappropriatecontentcansurfacebytypinginthemostinnocentofsearchterms,soparentsneedtomonitortheirkids'use.Aslivefeedisnowpossible,thepotentialformisuse,inadvertentandunexpectedexposuretoinappropriatecontentishigh.Ifyouwouldn'tletyourkidwatchrandomTVorsurfthenetwithoutsupervision,considerinstallingYouTubeKids,which
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
searchhistory. hassomebuiltinfilters.Voxer
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia:13+
Awalkietalkieappthatallowsuserstoshareshortlittlevoicenotesthatmaketheexperiencesimilartochattingbackandforthonawalkie-talkie.
Imagesandtextscanalsobeshared.Userscanchatoneononeoringroups.
Theappsharestheuserscurrentlocationbydefaultwhichcanputkidsatrisk.ParentsshouldknowthattheAppallowsin-appmessagingbetweenusers.
Payattentiontowhomyourkidsarechattingwith!Nottalkingtostrangersisoneofthefirstthingsweteachourkids.Parentsneedtomakesuretheprivacysettingsaresetandthegeo-locationfeatureturnedoff.
Whisper
Appstore:17CommonSenseMedia:18+
AnAppthatletsusersshareandposttheir“deepest,darkestsecrets”anonymouslythroughpicturesandtexts–whichdon’tdisappear.
Asusersdon’thaveapublicidentity,theycanonlybecontactedthroughthemessagestheypost,eitherpubliclyorprivately.
Safetyandprivacyconcernsincludethelackofconfidentialityandthatusersdon’thaveapublicidentityintheapp,soanonymityissecured.andthereisnowaytocontactthemexceptthroughthemessagestheypost.Someusersuseittotrytohookupwithsomeonenearby,whileotherspost“confessions”and“secrets”,whichmaybehighlyderogatory,injuriousorspuriouscommentsaboutotherpeople,forwhichthereisnoaccountability.
Notsuitableforkids!Anysitethatallowsanonymouspostsshouldringalarms!Thesearenotorioushubsforcyberbullyingandsexualpredators.
App Ageguide
Whatit’sabout… Pros Cons BeinTouchsays…
Yolo
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia17+
WorkinginconjunctionwithSnapchat,itletsusersreceiveandrespondtoanonymousquestionsfromtheirSnapchatfriends,andkeepsarecordofbothquestionsandresponses.
Asafreeadd-onfeatureforSnapchat,whenusersconnectYOLOtotheiraccounts,theycanaddastickertotheirSnapchatStorythatinvitestheirfollowerstogivethemfeedbackoraskthemquestionsanonymously.Then,iftheychoose,theuserscanrespondtothosequestionsintheirStories.
Notsuitableforkids!Payattentiontowhomyourkidsarechattingwith!Nottalkingtostrangersisoneofthefirstthingsweteachourkids.Anysitethatallowsanonymouspostsshouldringalarms!Thesearenotorioushubsforcyberbullyingandsexualpredators.
Yubo
Appstore:13CommonSenseMedia17+
AnAppthatletsuserscreateaprofile,sharetheirlocation,andflipthroughimagesofotherusersintheirarea.Youcaneitherscrollthroughthecurrentlivestreamsorbrowseindividualprofilesbyswiping,Tinder-style,onprofilesyoulike.
Basically,adatingapporahookupsite,whereteensperuseprofilesofother"teens"(orpotentiallyadultsposingaskids)wholiveintheirareaandswipeleftorrightiftheylikewhattheysee,beforeconnectingviaSnapchat.
Notsuitableforkids!Payattentiontowhomyourkidsarechattingwith!Nottalkingtostrangersisoneofthefirstthingsweteachourkids.Parentsneedtomakesuretheprivacysettingsaresetandthegeo-locationfeatureturnedoff.