As a parent, I worry about everything that my kids do especially when it comes to all things social media.
Growing up I never had to worry about Facebook, Snapchat, or TikTok, I was either outside playing on my Gameboy (Tetris all the way). In this day and age social media is so accessible parents need to pay close attention to what apps are on their kids’ phones. There are at least five social media apps that all parents need to look out for.
TikTok
The most popular right now. This was developed to share and create short videos and others used for bullying, showing drug use, and school fights. It has been linked to challenges that kids try on their own. Like the Tide Pod Challenge where kids would eat/drink Tide Pods or the destructive bathroom TikTrok Challenge.
Snapchat
Another app for sharing short videos and photos and messages. What makes this one so popular with everyone is that once the message is read it is automatically deleted so parents who monitor their kid’s social media usage never see the messages.
MeetMe
This one is a bit scary. This app is meant to video chat with people in your area. You never know who is on the other end of that video chat. This is more of a dating app, but everything could be dangerous for other reasons.
Whisper
This is an anonymous social media platform that allows users to post and share photos and video messages anonymously. This could be really dangerous when it comes to bullying online cause you would have no idea where it would be coming from.
Holla
This all matches users with random strangers for video chat. I have no idea this even existed.
Other dangerous apps include Hoop, Gas, Yubo, Omegle, Reddit, Sicord, and Fake Calculators. To help with controlling what your kids have on their phones, experts say to set boundaries with your kids. Set timers to limit screen time, parents should talk to their kids about the dangers of these apps and both parents and kids need to be educated on any apps before they are downloaded.
