As a parent, you are concerned about the safety and well-being of your children. In this day and age, the accessibility to dangerous social media platforms makes it difficult to protect your kids’ online security. No-one wants to put their child in the way of danger, however, especially to those less tech-savvy parents, it is difficult to keep up with the amount of dangerous apps and websites that are popping up recently.
To those parents educated in the usage of social media, this is simply a reminder, however to those parents who are not well acquainted with social media, take this as a warning.
Here is a list of apps and websites every parent should know to ensure their child remains safe online:
1.) Instagram
A 2014 survey conducted across 41 States in America concluded that the photo-sharing network, Instagram is now the most popular social media network among 7,200 US teenagers.
It is important to note that the minimum age of sign up is 13; therefore it is already clear that any child under this age is not suitable for an Instagram account. Upon signing up the default profile visibility is set to public. This means that any picture uploaded to the app can be seen by anyone. This can open up young children to the risk of paedophilia, cyber bullying and stalking.
For parents who allow their children on Instagram, here are a few handy hints to make sure your child stays safe:
- Turn their profile visibility to private. This way, only their approved followers can view their photos.
- Make sure your children are aware of blocking users and reporting images. If your child comes across inappropriate material, they can easily block whoever was uploading the material. Be sure they report the particular photo/s as well.
2.) Snapchat
Photo: nypost.com
Similar to Instagram, Snapchat is a photo/video-sharing based social media platform. It involves taking a ‘snap’ and sending it to various people on your friends list. The receiver of the image/video can view it for a set amount of time (e.g. 10 seconds) before it disappears, thus the main appeal of Snapchat.
This app also holds a 12+ age rating. The main danger of this app is that sometimes the ‘snap’ does not always completely disappear. Inappropriate use of the app can lead to harassment and bullying.
Snapchat published a parents’ guide which provides information on safe use of the app, but here are some the basic things a parent should know:
- Configure Snapchat to only accept messages from users on your “My Friends” list. The last thing you want is your child receiving inappropriate and/or explicit images from a stranger.
- Don’t expect your snaps to fully disappear. The ‘snapshot’ feature allows the receiver to save the photo to their phone. A warning message is sent to the sender; however that snap is now saved onto someone’s phone. Don’t take snaps you will regret sending later.
3.) Tinder
Tinder is first and foremost, a dating app or a hook-up site. Therefore it is questionable as to why children 13 years old (and sometimes under, if the account holds a false age), and most importantly a minor, should be allowed to have it.
This app locates ‘singles’ near your location. An image of a ‘single’ is shown and if you find them attractive, you ‘swipe right’. If they ‘swipe right’ to you as well, then you can message them.
There are a number of problems this app can cause from use by children:
First of all, it puts emphasis on the belief that they need to be physically attractive to be desired, which promotes unhealthy obsessions with appearance. It also opens them up to the dangers of meeting potentially dangerous strangers online and eventually in person.
As a parent, you can protect your child by:
- Emphasising the importance of ‘stranger danger’: Make sure they are wary and aware that people are not the same online as they are in person.
- Wait until they are older: If possible, do not allow them to use the app until they are at least 16.
4.) Kik Messenger
This free app is rated for people aged 17 and over, however it has been reported that its main users are actually aged 11-15.
Due to the fact that Kik is not too well-known among adults, it appeals to kinds and younger teens. Cyber safety consultant Martine Oglethorpe told the Sydney Morning Herald:
”Kids are moving away from open Facebook updates because they know their parents are watching them, and they’re moving on to Kik.”
The use of fake names (usernames) also makes it harder to monitor their activity. However this app also draws in paedophiles and drug dealers who can communicate with and influence these children.
If your child is insistent on using the app, then you can try these alternatives:
- Don’t be the oblivious parent. Educate yourselves about the social media your children and other children use.
- Set boundaries. Make sure you come to an agreement about how the app is used, e.g. no inappropriate or explicit messaging especially when it comes to strangers.
- Educate them about strangers. Don’t let them meet up with strangers. That should be the most important aspect of all.
5.) Yik Yak
This app is free to use, requires no registration and allows total animosity. Yik Yak connects up to 500 nearby user to an anonymous chat room. The lack of registration allows users of any age to use the app, making it popular among younger teens regardless of the 17+ age recommendation.According to Yik Yak co-founder Brooks Buffington,
“The app was made for college-age users or above, for college campuses and to act as a virtual bulletin board, so it acts as local Twitter for their campus.”
It is easy to realize therefore that the app can be easily misused by younger people.
The biggest problem regarding this app is the case of cyberbullying. The animosity of users makes it impossible to trace the writer of offensive content and it can be distributed over a wide array of viewers. Used irresponsibly, this can cause major problems with rumors and inappropriate online behavior.
Important factors that parents should take into consideration include:
- Letting them know that bullying anyone is not okay: no one likes a bully, and it will come back to them in one way or another
- If they’re being bullied, make sure they let someone know: if you’re the victim, it might be best to stay away from the app and seek help.
6.) Ask.FM
Ask.fm is a popular question-and-answer website and app popular among young teenagers due to the basis of animosity. The website’s terms of service places the age restriction to 13 years of age. The website’s most prominent audience ranges from the ages of 13-25, with 50% of registered users under the age of 18. This particular site has featured prominently in the media for being linked to a handful of suicides involving young teenagers. While the questions are posted anonymously, the actual user asked the questions cannot increase privacy settings. Again, this opens up a platform for extreme bullying and harassment by people who are impossible to track.
For parents with children who use this site, you might want to:
- Communicate with your child/teen: ensure they are safe on the site and are not experiencing harassment.
- Don’t let them continue if it gets too bad: if the bullying increases, simply remove them from the site. It would solve a lot of issues.
7.) Chatroulette
The first thing parents need to know about Chatroulette is that it has been dubbed a “predator’s paradise”. User must be at least 16 years old and have to agree not to broadcast explicit material; however any of these barriers can be by-passed by fake accounts and can expose young children to child molesters.
The site works by allowing the user to randomly chat with individuals as they appear on the screen. The communication can be through text, audio, and/or video. This site is renowned for widespread inappropriate sexual behavior and can be mentally and emotionally scarring for children.
As a parent:
- Be aware of your child’s internet activity: if you are aware that your child is using the site, especially under-aged, you might want to have a serious conversation about it.
- Warn them of the dangers of webcam: you really don’t want to scar your child for life, so make they know the dangerous consequences of chatting to strangers on a webcam.
8.) 4chan
4chan is an anonymous image message board notorious for its controversial content. It is known to contain posts that can be described as vulgar, stupid and occasionally dangerous. Trends and ideas are quickly spread through users of the site that then incorporate this knowledge into day-to-day life.
A more recent example includes the ‘bikini bridge’ trend, which puts a large amount of pressure on health-consciousness and body-image issues. At the most impressionable adolescent age, it is impractical to think that your child will know well enough to be wary of internet traps.
It also opens up a platform for negative thoughts and actions. This has implications for the development ofdepression and even suicide.
It is important for parents to remember that:
- These sites are not suitable for children: remember the types of content this page displays. You do not want to be exposing your child to explicit material.
- Observe your child: if they begin displaying worrisome behavior picked up from online trends, make sure you talk to them about being reasonable.
9.) Omegle
This chatting site identifies you as simple “You” and the stranger you are talking to as simply “Stranger”. This anonymous chat can take place as either a text or video conversation. If that doesn’t ring enough warning bells, being anonymous does not stop users from sharing name, age and location through the actual message.
Users of Omegle must be over 13 with parental consent until the age of 18; however it is not likely that teenagers will actually ask their parents for permission.
Once again, this opens up the potential for stranger danger.
Parents of children who use Omegle please be aware:
- Internet predators are tricky: you do not want your child drawn in by internet predators, so don’t allow your children to meet up with stranger unaccompanied, no matter what the circumstances are.
- It is dangerous to share private information: you don’t want creeps showing breaking into your house in the middle of the night because your child has given their address. Private information is very valuable, and they should know when and when not to share it.
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