There are so many social media apps, and new ones are popping up all the time!
We’ve put together a list of the most common apps your children may be using, as well as a list of the potential dangers these apps may pose.
Facebook – a way for people to connect with friends and colleagues.
Why it’s popular: Facebook is the most widely used social media site and one of the most effective online marketing tools. Many teens don’t find Facebook to be as “cool” as other social media sites — after all, their parents use it — but they often maintain a presence on it even if they don’t actively use it.
What parents need to know:
- Settings are automatically set to public. Encourage your child to review their privacy settings and make sure they know to think about who will see something before they actually post it.
- The activity log lets people know every move that’s made. If your child likes a photo, comments on a post, adds a friend, plays a game, or does just about anything else on Facebook, it appears in his/her activity log. Everyone who is friends with your child can see their activity, and lets them know they’re online even if their chat settings are turned off.
- Facebook has tools to help you. If your child is under 13 and has an account (it’s against Facebook’s rules), you can get their account removed. The site also has resources for you to get help if your child is being bullied on the site. Visit the Facebook Safety Center for help.
Google Hangouts – a way for people to connect with friends and colleagues.
Why it’s popular: One popular aspect of Google+ is the addition of real-time video chats in Hangouts (virtual gatherings with approved friends).
What parents need to know:
- Teens can limit who sees certain posts by using “circles”. Friends, acquaintances, and the general public can all be placed in different circles. If you’re friends with your kid on Google+, know that you may be in a different “circle” than their friends (and therefore seeing different information).
- Google+ takes teens’ safety seriously. Google+ created age-appropriate privacy default settings for any users whose registration information shows them to be teens. It also automatically reminds them about who may be seeing their posts (if they’re posting on public or extended circles).
- Data tracking and targeting are confers. Google+ activity (what you post and search for and who you connect with) is shared across Google services including Gmail and YouTube. This information is used for targeting ads to the user. Users can’t opt out of this type of sharing across Google services.
Instagram – users can share photos and 15-second videos.
Why it’s popular: Instagram unites the most popular features of social media sites: sharing, seeing, and commenting on photos. Instagram also lets you apply fun filters and effects to your photos, making them look high-quality and artistic.
What parents need to know:
- Teens are on the lookout for “Likes”. Similar to Facebook, teens may measure the “success” of their photos – or even their self-worth – by the number of likes or comments they receive. Posting a photo or video can be problematic if teens post it to validate their popularity.
- Public photos are the default. Photos and videos shared on Instagram are public and may have location information unless privacy settings are adjusted. Hashtags can make photos even more visible to communities beyond a teen’s followers.
- Mature content can slip in. The terms of service specify that users should be at least 13 years old and shouldn’t post partially nude or sexually suggestive photos — but they don’t address violence, profanity, or drugs.
Resource: A parents’ guide to Instagram: What parents need to know to keep kids safe
Twitter – allows users to post brief messages and follow other usersWhy it’s popular: Teens like using it to share quick tidbits about their lives with friends. It’s also great for keeping up with what’s going on in the world — break news, celebrity gossip, etc.
What parents need to know:
- Public tweets are the norm for teens. Though you can choose to keep your tweets private, most teens report having public accounts. Talk to your kids about what they post and how a post can spread far and fast.
- Updates appear immediately. Even though you can remove tweets, your followers can still read what you wrote until it’s gone. This can get kid in trouble if they say something in the heat of the moment.
- It’s a promotional tool for celebs. Twitter reels teens in with behind-the-scenes access to celebrities’ lives, adding a whole new dimension to celebrity worship. You may want to point out how much marketing strategy goes into the tweets of those they admire.
Snapchat – pictures and videos disappear after being viewed.
Why it’s popular: Snapchat’s creators intended the app’s fleeting images to be a way for teens to share fun, light moments without the risk of having them go public. And that’s what most teens use it for: sending goofy or embarrassing photos to one another. Snapchats also seem to send and load much “faster” than email or text.
What parents need to know:
- It’s a myth that Snapchats go away forever. Data is data: Whenever an image is sent, it never truly goes away. (For example, the person on the receiving end can take a screenshot of the image before it disappears.) Snapchats can even be recovered.
- It can make sexting seem OK. The seemingly risk-free messaging might encourage users to share pictures containing inappropriate content.
Resource: A parents’ guide to Snapchat: What parents need to know to keep children safe
Additional social media apps:
Badoo – connects users with strangers for friendship or datingWhy it’s popular: This app focuses on meeting new people and dating. There is a free service and a paid service. Users can chat and upload photos and videos to share with other users. Users can find each other with the app’s “people nearby” feature. Users are also able to chat with other users all over the world.
What parents need to know:
- Badoo claims to have more than 212 million users. If your child is using it, they are likely getting a ton of invites to meet or even date total strangers every day.
- People have reported that fake profiles with their photo and personal information have been created, and many of them said they had difficulty getting Badoo to remove the profile.
Confide – lets users send messages that will “self-destruct”
Why it’s popular: This app allows users to send text messages that “self-destruct.” The app touts that you can “say what you want, honest and unfiltered. Messages disappear after they’re read, ensuring all of your communication remains private, confidential and always off the record.”
What parents need to know:
- This app is a way for users to send texts of a sexual nature – the message is available during a single swipe and is then gone forever.
- Confide doesn’t store messages on its servers. If you think your child is having an inappropriate relationship, the makers of the app can’t help you track down messages shared on the app.
- Because messages “self destruct,” this app could be used for cheating on exams.
Kik Messenger – an app-based alternative to standard texting
Why it’s popular: It’s fast and has no message limits, character limits, or fees if you just use the basic features, making it decidedly more fun in many ways than SMS texting.
What parents need to know:
- It’s too easy to “copy all.” Kik’s ability to link to other Kik-enabled apps within itself is a way to drive “app adoption” (purchases) from its users for developers. The app also encourages new registrants to invite everyone in their phone’s address book to join Kik, since users can only message those who also have the app.
- There’s some stranger danger. An app named OinkText, linked to Kik, allows communication with strangers who share their Kik usernames to find people to chat with. There’s also a Kik community blog where users can submit photos of themselves and screenshots of messages (sometimes displaying users’ full names) to contests.
- It uses real names. Teens’ usernames identify them on Kik, so they shouldn’t use their full real name as their username.
MeetMe – focuses on meeting, dating strangersWhy it’s popular: The site touts itself as a place “where new friends meet,” but it has a heavy emphasis on dating complete strangers. Users can find other users within a few miles of where they live.
What parents need to know:
- This app has been around since 2005, but until June 2012 it was called “My Yearbook.” If you’re doing research to see if you’re comfortable with your child using this app, be sure to run a search under the app’s old name.
- Some parents have reported that adults are “friending” children. It’s very possible for a 40-year-old user to “friend” a 12-year-old user, even though they’re strangers. One parent claimed that her daughter was able to “sell” photos of herself to make “lunch money” and then buy gifts, like handcuffs and one-night stands, to send to other users.
Streetchat – anonymous way to say or post photos of anythingWhy it’s popular: This app is an anonymous local bulletin board that lets users post messages to be read by users around them. It’s an easy way to spread gossip without anyone know who is saying what.
What parents need to know:
- Much of the content is questionable, to say the least. When we checked the latest posts around us, we found an offer to buy drugs, several images of half-clothed girls and women, and what appeared to be a post soliciting a hitman. When we looked at posts made at specific schools, we found many “selfies” and the students didn’t have all of their clothes on.
Tagged – users connect with strangers; emphasis on datingWhy it’s popular: Tagged claims to have more than 300 million members, so there are a ton of people to interact with. Has a heavy emphasis on dating.
What parents should know:
- The “Meet Me” component lets users “match” with other users. When two users click “match” on each other, they can then exchange messages. When we tried this out, we received several phone numbers with requests to call or text the other user.
- There is a “pets” component that allows users to “buy” each other. Players are assigned a value that grows each time they are “purchased.” Players “cash” that grows with each transaction, but they can purchase “gold” with real money in the app.
- The app sends lots of emails. Every time a user clicks “match” or “buys” you as a pet, you get an email. Sometimes activity can be very brisk, so users could get hundreds of emails an hour. There is good news: Users can turn off these notifications. If you allow your child to use this app, you may want to insist that the notifications are either turned off – or that your email address is on the account so you can monitor what your child is doing. There have also been reports of spamming – invitations being sent to a member’s email address book.
Tinder – matches people with other people around them for friendship or datingWhy it’s popular: This app allows people to find strangers around them to chat with and share photos.
What parents should know:
- Users must connect to Tinder with a Facebook account. The app says it uses Facebook data to make sure users are matched with people with similar interests in common friends. Tinder does not post content to Facebook.
- Users can chat with each other inside the app. Once two users have “matched” (which requires that they both “like” each other), they’re able to send messages directly to each other.
- Users can block or “unmatch” with another user and it’s permanent – they cannot rematch or be unblocked at any time with either account.
Tumblr – interactive blogging site.
Why it’s popular: Many teens have tumblrs for personal use — sharing photos, videos, deep thoughts, and things they find funny with their friends. Tumblelogs with funny memes and gifs often go viral online, as well (case in point: “Texts from Hillary”).
What parents need to know:
- This online hangout is hip and creative but sometimes raunchy. Pornagraphic images and videos, depictions of violence, self-harm, drug use, and offensive language are easily searchable.
- Privacy can be guarded, but only though an awkward workaround. The first profile a member creates is public and viewable by anyone on the Internet. Members who desire full privacy have to create a second profile, which they’re able to password protect.
- Posts are often copied and shared. Reblogging on Tumblr is similar to re-tweeting: A post that’s reblogged from one tumblelog then appears on another. Many teens like — and in face, want — their posts reblogged. But do you really want your kids’ words and photos on someone else’s page?
Viber – lets users make phone calls/send text messages globallyWhy it’s popular: Viber lets users connect with anyone in the world (who has the app) for free. This can be done through phone calls or text messages. You can match your already existing contacts list to see which of them already have Viber.
What parents should know:
- There isn’t a registration process – the user’s Viber identity is their phone number.
Wickr – lets users send messages that won’t be archivedWhy it’s popular: This app touts military-grade encryption of text, picture, audio and video messages. It boasts that its mission is to provide secure communications that leave no trace.
What parents should know:
- Wickr says it doesn’t store apps on a server, so if your child gets into a sticky situation with another user, there isn’t a way to prove anything occurred.
- Because messages can be set to self-destruct or disappear after a certain amount of time, it’s possible that this app could be used for cheating on exams and sharing homework.
- Since messages can self-destruct, this app provides the opportunity for users to send explicit photos, videos, and text messages to each other without the fear of getting caught.
Yik Yak – connects users with strangers in their area.
Why it’s popular: This app is basically a location-based bulletin board that shows users the most recent posts from users within a 1.5-mile radius. User can connect and share information with others without having to know them.
What parents need to know:
- This app has a serious history of bullying problems. Many middle and high schools have reported incidents that involve this app. Since it’s anonymous, many users are using the full names of people they’re bullying because they think there will be no consequences. Some school districts have reported that bomb threats were made via this app.
- The makers are trying to block the app in schools. Bullying became such a big problem in Chicago that Yik Yak actually blocked the entire city from using it for days. They are using a third-party service to geo-sense every middle and high school in the United States.
- You can prevent your child from using this app. If your child’s phone is set to prevent apps from determining their location with the GPS feature, the app won’t work.