3 risky apps you need to know.
Welcome back
After a short pause to re-evaluate how we best serve parents, educators and children in an ever-more digital landscape, we are back and more committed than ever in our mission to enable digital safety and well-being.
Considering how Covid-19 has impacted on our methods of pursuing our mission, we have re-designed our solutions and our roadmap for this year and the future. We are in the process of developing modular online courses and e-learning for parents, schools and children and are excited to rolling these out during the course of the year. We have also adapted our workshops for schools and families to facilitate remote sessions.
But back to today’s topic:
3 risky apps you need to know about.
1 - Kik
“Hang on, I thought Kik was shut down…?”…emm…no - afraid not. Described by law enforcement internationally as "a key playground for online predators", Kik is a "be as anonymous as you want" multi-media chat app (incl. video and image sharing). Fake profiles of adults pretending to be children/teens are prolific and the app has been directly linked to multiple cases of child exploitation.
As a fellow parent, this app makes my blood boil!
In case you think: “but no-one knows their username”…there are apps to find Kik usernames!! …What?!?!
These are some apps featured alongside Kik on the App Store (i.e. for similar interest)…
2 - Yubo (formerly Yellow)
Yup! Albeit with a new name, the app known as “Tinder for kids” is still here…and just like on Tinder, swipe right and left depending whether you like what you see…can you see the problem that presents for kids?
“Hang on, but it says it’s for 17+ on the App Store”…yes, yet the age groups teens select in the app go from 13-18. The app also encourages connecting the user's snapchat and instagram accounts and many underage users share their Kik and snapchat usernames which poses further risks as anyone on Yubo can see those and contact them through those directly. But if that wasn’t bad enough…there is a livestream feature!! Children can start live video streams in their bedroom or any other location. Total strangers can watch the stream and send questions or interact via live text chat. They are not restricted to friends and are open to strangers. Whilst Yubo seems to be taking steps to try protect teens on the app, there is still so much wrong with the concept of a “Tinder-like” app for kids and teens - not just in terms of safety but well-being and mental health.
Apps suggested alongside Yubo (i.e. of similar interest)
3 - Houseparty
An online “houseparty” among kids/teens using live video chat with multiple users behind “closed doors”…hmm…what could possibly go wrong?
I found these on a public app review forum:
From a child, 12 years old: “Used to be safe.. pedos are everywhere nowdays”.
And: “ONLY use when your kid knows about pedophiles and ONLY Talks with his/her friends”.
From another user (child): “This app is an anxiety builder. You need to be invited to the group to chat and many times the group excludes a frequent member to talk about the person they excluded. This is done frequently and many Times intently generating self-doubt and a lot of anxiety”.
You get the picture!
There are enough other apps for kids to connect with each other more safely. Whilst none are 100% safe, I don’t think there is any good reason to use any of the above. I could give you some tips around how to use these somewhat safer, but in my view they are so risky that I’d rather just say: “DELETE, DELETE, DELETE”.
stay tuned: Next time - 3 safer app options for kids.
Warmest Regards,
Michel (founder)
immunizeNet - safer digital lives.