Parents of the young generation have grown up with computers, phones, and the digital revolution, still, they are no match for the comfort that today’s youth have with their tech. However, while they are extremely comfortable using these devices, there are some risks even the tech-savvy kids don’t really know about. There are some apps parents should be aware of, that can put their kids at risk. Your kids may do things that put themselves or others at risk. There is no advocate for denying children access to technology as tech has become a part of their life be it scholarly or personal. The internet has so much positive to offer, that denying your kids access due to a little negative is not suitable. In this article, we will discuss the 14 apps parents should know about to keep their kids safe.
Countless dangers are lurking behind the other end of our screens at all times and that’s why we must find a way to help the kids staying safe. Read this article thoroughly and you will learn about the most dangerous social media apps, what websites should parents block in 2021, and social media sites parents should be aware of.
Apps To Watch Out For Parents
The digital revolution has brought a lot of changes in our lives, they make it easier to do everything and allow us to harness the power of the internet. The rise of applications has changed a lot of things, and now there is a wide range of applications available to download at any given time. Below we have listed the most dangerous apps for tweens if your kids don’t understand what they are doing on these platforms.
Take some time to learn about these applications, and then you’ll find if your child is using any of the applications on your phone. If your kids are using the apps to watch out for parents then you need to have a healthy conversation with them regarding personal safety online.
1. Calculator%
By name, this looks like any other calculator application but the only reason it is on the list is that it’s not an ordinary calculator application. Calculator% is one of the apps to watch out for parents. It basically allows you to hide files on your phone, it’s mainly designed for photos and videos and unless you know where to look for, you won’t be able to find the apps anywhere.
As this app helps kids hide things from watchful eyes, this app should be a reason for concern for all the parents. The most common thing anyone wishes to hide is something inappropriate, so it’s important that you talk to your child. The only reason why this is considered the most dangerous apps for tweens is that they are trying to hide something.
If you find this app on your kids’ phone, try to talk to them and ask them what they are trying to hide Explain to your kids about the harm of exchanging photos with strangers via text or internet. As these photos don’t really get deleted.
2. Tellonym
Tellonym is a popular app amongst high school and middle school teenagers. It’s an anonymous instant messenger app, which means anyone can talk to anyone without actually knowing who they are talking to. The age limit for this app is 16, but there are ways to bypass this limit easily as even 12 years old are active on the platform.
Unfortunately, the anonymity of the application has made it a hotbed for cyberbullying and cybercrimes. It is definitely one of the social media sites parents should be aware of, while Tellonym isn’t your traditional social media service, it is a texting app. Using this app, your children are also putting themselves much closer to online predators. These predators can manipulate your kids into sharing sensitive information, photos, or worse, meeting with them in person.
3. Bigo Live
Bigo Live is rated for teen 17 and above, Bigo Live is an up and coming Live-Streaming app. It allows users to live broadcast what they are doing using their phone’s video camera. It’s also one of the most dangerous apps for tweens as live streaming can cause tons of problems for people.
The fact that it’s live is what makes it interesting, and this feature alone is what makes this super dangerous. Instead, it’s the type of content that kids post is something that parents should be concerned about. It is common to hear the inappropriate language on the live streams, which we can all agree is not something we want the kids to be exposed to.
The best thing you can do is talk to your kids about the risks of such an app, you can either talk to them about stop using the app or keeping their distance from harmful content on the platform.
4. IMVU
This is an app you would want to keep away from your kids. In our opinion, it is one of those apps parents should be aware of. It is a virtual reality game in which users can create an online avatar and use it to communicate with other adults.
In theory, there is an 18+ side of the game as well but unfortunately, that side isn’t enforced as much as you’d want it to be. Plus, there is a lot of inappropriate activity going on in general areas as well. However, what’s even more concerning for the parents is that users can chat directly with one another, and if your kid is not prepared for this, they can be tricked into providing more sensitive information.
If you find this app on your children’s application, no matter what just put the idea in their head that they shouldn’t talk to unknown people.
5. Tinder, Badoo & Hot or Not
Almost everyone knows about these applications. As parents, these apps are the one out of 14 apps parents should know about you should definitely look out for. Different names, but all these apps have the same purpose, meeting and hooking up with unknown people. All of these apps have an age restriction, Tinder’s is 17, but it’s tough to keep kids away from the platform. Badoo is a similar app and it connects people in the area for the sole purpose of hooking up.
Hot or Not has the same end goal, but it has a different way of going with it. It basically works on a rating system, and users are asked to rate each other’s profiles. This can lead to kids losing their self-esteem if people rate their profiles negatively. It’s important to teach your kids about self-esteem and what can happen with them if your kids use these websites.
6. Yik Yak
Yik Yak is known as the “local Twitter” among the users. To use it, you need to provide a specific location from where you are using the app. Once the information is provided, you will be put into chatrooms with other users who live in the same location or nearby.
Firstly, the application was designed to work as a bulletin board application, specifically for college campuses, but it never really took off that way. Instead, it works as more of a news and meets up site for people who live near to one another. It is one of the apps to watch out for parents as your kids may end up giving out sensitive information to unknown users.
7. Ask.FM
We live in an age where cyberbullying is a huge problem. Kids are being bullied at every platform be it offline and online. Ask.FM is definitely one of the most dangerous apps for tweens as it is known as a hotbed for cyberbullying.
On this platform, people can ask and respond to questions from friends and other known users as well as those operating with anonymity. Kids tend to use this application just to bully each other and it has been growing exponentially over time. If you find your kids using Ask.FM then it’s time you have a talk with them about online-bullying, what kind of people they are interacting with, and not to share sensitive information with anyone.
8. Chatroulette
This app is definitely one of the worst ones, you would definitely want to keep your kids off of this one. The goal of the application is to facilitate interaction between random people. While the idea sounds interesting, and the site tries its best to prevent the sharing of inappropriate content, people can still share content not suitable for children.
If you’re wondering, what websites should parents block in 2021? Then Chatroulette should be kept in mind by all the parents. Chatroulette is famous for inappropriate content being shared among the users and once you connect with someone, you can also voice chat and text. All these are red flags if you haven’t had the online security talk with your kids.
Social Media Sites Parents Should Be Aware Of
In addition to apps, social media sites and applications also need to be on your radar if you are a parent. There’s a good chance you know about almost all of them, and you may even use some of them, but we’re going to discuss some of the specific dangers your kids can face while using them.
1. Facebook
Well, everybody knows about Facebook and what it offers to consumers. Most of the time, Facebook is generally safe but if used wrongly then it can harm your kids in more than one way. Specifically, you need t make sure the sharing settings are set carefully so that anything they post only goes to those who are their friends.
Whatever you do, it’s crucial to talk to your kids about what content they should be sharing. If you are concerned about your kids’ over-sharing, there are ways you can protect your kid by changing some settings in your account. To adjust the privacy settings, just click on the down arrow at the top right of your Facebook home page. Then, once you are on your general account settings page, find “Privacy” on the menu on the left. Things are also changing on Facebook and it is slowly becoming one of the most dangerous social media apps.
2. Instagram
Once again on the list, Instagram is already a very famous social media application. It’s one of the most dangerous social media apps as almost everyone can talk with everyone. Instagram has a direct messaging feature, and while your kids can choose to accept the message requests, it still is dangerous for kids who don’t know about the dangers of talking to strangers. Another concern for kids is that Instagram can have an impact on Kid’s self-image. Social media has a lot of ideals for beauty, money, success, masculinity, femininity, etc.
As a result, once again you will need to have a conversation with your kids so that they understand how to use almost all the social media platforms.
3. Snapchat
The most dangerous thing about Snapchat is that anyone can send texts to anyone if they have their contact details. Plus the even dangerous thing is that Snapchat messages get deleted after 30 seconds. After the messages disappear they are lost from every kind of database.
While this can be a fun way for friends to talk with one another but it’s also a way for the wrong type of users to share inappropriate images, texts, and videos. What makes Snapchat one of the most dangerous social media apps is that your kids can be tricked into thinking that they are safe by sharing anything as messages disappear quickly.
4. TikTok
TikTok is one of the largest video sharing platform and it allows users to make short music videos, of 3-15 seconds, or longer videos of 3-10 seconds, which is often made up of smaller videos looped together.
Shortly after its launch, the platform gained popularity very quickly. The platform was promoted as a new way to promote themselves, while TikTok has an age limit of a minimum of 13. As a parent, you should be concerned about what your kids are making videos about and if that is appropriate to share online. TikTok should be last on our list of social media sites parents should be aware of.
Keep Up With Growing Technology
We’ve outlined 14 apps parents should know about and what harm they can cause. Unfortunately, that’s not all, countless things can go wrong on even the safest of online platforms. You should stay vigilant and most importantly talk to your kids about all the dangers of the online world and how they can harm them.
