Now, as more and more teens own smartphones, apps are definitely no stranger.
Although there are many great and beneficial apps available to all of us, there are several apps that parents need to be aware of if their teens are using them. Apps that may keep parents in the dark about such issues as bullying, sexting and attracting pedophiles.
Unfortunately, the case of a 12 year old Florida girl who jumped to her death after being cyberbullied on two popular apps, is only one example of how something as simple as using an app can become a way more complicated issue. (source)
We will describe of few of these apps and whey they need monitoring:
Snap Chat allows the sender to set an amount of time for how long they want their viewers to see their texts, photos or video messages.
This is the number one sexting app on the market. Just because you haven't seen inappropriate photos on your teen's phone, doesn't mean they haven't been there. Snap Chat has made it possible for teens to send inappropriate material and make it look like it never existed.
On of the most popular social networking sites/apps used by teens and pre-teens is Ask.fm. It is a question and answers site that allows the user to ask anonymous questions. This app allow users to connect with their friends on Facebook and Twitter and has become a vehicle for bullying.
Ask.fm has led to 4 documented cases of suicide in 3 different countries, including the U.S., due to intense bullying. (source)
This teen confession app allows users to superimpose text over an image.
"Teens have started using the app for cyberbullying. Due to the anonymous feature of the app, teens are posting pics of other teens with derogatory text superimposed on the image. Users do not have to register to use Whisper thus no user profile. Unfortunately, the app allow users to communicate with other users nearby by using the device GPS location settings. Pedophiles seek out female whisper users to establish a relationship. Recently, a Seattle, Washington man was arrested for raping a 12 year old girl that was lured to a hotel through the app." (source)
Kik messenger is a super quick instant messaging app. This app allow teens (which are among the millions of users) to exchange videos, pics, and sketches. New Kik cards allow user send Youtube videos, create memes, and gifs without leaving the app.
One of the dangers of Kik Messenger is that there is no way of authenticating users which makes it easy for pedophiles to use the app.
What parents can do:
- Stay informed. The age of technology is not the time to remain naieve or uniformed. If you feel very ignorant about technology, you may want to talk with other parents, read articles or take a course to help you understand what your teens are doing and how to monitor it.
Brian Lidle, a middle school principal of a school in Ohio who has seen dozens of cases of student harrassment via Kia in a few months time comments, "This is not our world that kids are operating in," Lidle said. "They call us digital immigrants. We have to immerse ourselves in what's going on in their world, as uncomfortable as it is. Our kids are at stake, and we cannot drop the vigilance of knowing what's going on in their worlds." (source)
- As with most teen issues, communication is key! Know your teen's interests, friends, and with whom and how they are communicating.
Sameer Hinduja, criminology professor at Florida Atlantic University and co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center advises,
"Constantly having these conversations with kids so that they know their parent is not oblivious to these issues goes such a long way," he said. (source)
- Don't be afraid to set rules, boundaries and even monitor technology and apps. You are still the parent. Besides, in most cases, who pays the bill?!
Please take the time to get informed and be involved in this way. Unfortunately for many parents, it's too late!
