Messaging/Chat Apps
Apps in this category: Kik, WhatsApp, MeetMe, Facebook Messenger, HouseParty, Viber, Telegram, Signal
Why kids and teens like them:
- Send instant messages to friends
- Multimedia capacity (pictures/videos)
- Massive worldwide user base
- Parents won’t see conversations in texts
- Meet new people
Potential concerns:
- Can open up contact from predators
- Are often used for sexting
- Can’t always verify who is messaging
- Have been involved in abduction cases
- Sharing of explicit media
- Can reveal location
Anonymous Apps
Apps in this category: Ask fm, YOLO, Curious Cat, Sarahah, Whisper, Tellonym
Why kids and teens like them:
- Ask questions and leave comments anonymously
- Receive compliments and validation
- Post anonymous confessions
- Anonymity provides perception of safety/privacy
Potential concerns:
- Lend themselves to cyberbullying
- Sexually inappropriate comments/questions
- Associated with multiple suicides (Ask fm)
- No accountability for words and actions
- Explicit photos of students posted
- Used to post or send threats
Disappearing Apps
Apps in this category: Snapchat, Telegram, Signal, Wickr Me, Yovo, Clipchat, Slingshot, Dust
Why kids and teens like them:
- Pictures and messages seem to disappear
- Prevents parents from finding sexting images and videos
- Allows for secret conversations
Potential concerns:
- Are used for sexting
- Can make it difficult for parents to detect problems
- False belief that images actually disappear
- Images can be screencapped and saved via other methods
Picture/Video Apps
Apps in this category: Instagram, Tik Tok, VSCO, Snapchat, Dubsmash, Byte, Triller, Funimate, Imgur, Flickr, Vero
Why kids and teens like them:
- Attention, affirmation, and compliments
- Immediate feedback from followers
- Large follower count is a badge of honor
- Sharing their life with friends
- Users can apply filters & effects
Potential concerns:
- Predators use pictures/videos to find targets
- Users can be cyberbullied over their appearance
- Unhealthy comparison and competition with others
- Pressure to project a perfect image online
- FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out
- Unhealthy impulsive decisions can go viral
Vault Apps
Apps in this category: Vault, Calculator%, Hide It Pro, Vaulty, Keepsafe Photo Vault, AppLock, Discreet Vault, Private Photo Vault
Why kids and teens like them:
- Users can hide videos and pictures
- Users can hide other apps (AppLock)
- Prevents parents from finding sexting images
- Looks like calculator, audio manager, or currency converter (Hide It Pro)
Potential concerns:
- Are used to store sexting images and videos
- Can make it difficult for parents to detect problems and help their child
Back to notMYkid Prevention Tools for Safe Social Media Use