Two years ago our family moved from Charleston SC to rural North Carolina. It was humorous to watch our youngest daughter stare at the phone on the wall in confusion because she didn’t know why it was making a ringing noise! She had never seen a ‘landline’ telephone in a house!
A Digital Generation
Our children are the most digital of any generation and that technology changes so fast that it is hard to keep up. When it comes to apps for smartphones and tablets, there are new options appearing every month and it is hard to know which ones would be helpful for your child and which ones are the ‘dangerous apps’. Here are just a few of the ‘not-so-innocent’ apps that you need to make sure are not on your children’s devices!
2. Snapchat…is rather innocent on the surface. It allows users to share pictures to other users with the ‘added feature’ that the pictures will automatically disappear after an allotted time. Unfortunately, “sexting” (sending nude or illicit pictures) has become a popular snapchat behavior because there is an ‘assurance’ that the picture will disappear. These pics however, are easy to save on devices and are often used later for ‘revenge’.
3. Kik…seems like just another messaging app. Practically speaking it is just that. However, with relaxed digital authentication and no parental controls, it has also become popular for the ease of sending illicit photos.
4. Yik Yak…is an anonymous
5. Poof (or a variety of other ‘screen hiding apps’)…are designed to hide other apps on the phone from ‘nosey parents!’ They make it very difficult to actually find out if there is content that would alarm you. [Hide It Pro, Keep Safe, App Lock, KYMS (this one looks like a calculator).
7. Blendr…is a rating app that allows users to flirt with and rate others based on their ‘hotness’. It also uses GPS but is not authenticated so predators can use it to find minors. The rating feature also allows for bullying.
8. Whisper…is a completely anonymous app that allows users to share their most intimate secrets under the guise of complete secrecy. Since it is anonymous, you can post pictures and confessions of someone else (online bullying). …also uses GPS…predators can find you child easily…
10. Omegle…is a video chat app that is confirmed as a predator hangout. Though videos are ‘anonymous’, it is usually very easy for a determined predator to connect with minors.
11. Meet Me…is another GPS enabled app that allows users to connect with ‘new’ people nearby. There seems to be no age verification and the app connects to your Facebook profile. Can you imagine how dangerous this app is for children and teens!!Have you checked the apps on your child’s phone lately? Not all apps are as innocent as they may seem. I hope this list of “11 Dangerous Apps” will be a help as you guide your children through the maze of changing technology.Click Here to read “7 Secrets to Gain Your Child’s Heart.” This would be a great resource if you are having to make decisions about your child’s technology that they won’t understand!
DJHarry Isaiah 64:8 We are the clay!