Know the apps and games your children are on

Posted Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 5:42pm
Dangers of children on phones and gaming devices

The more you know, the better you can protect your kids.

Have the conversations with your children.

We want to help you keep up-to-date on new apps and games. 

Snapchat

  • Lets you easily talk with friends and view live stories from around the world.
  • Check out their extensive parent guide, community guidelines or subscribe to their in-app Safety Snapshot channel to learn more about the app and how to make sure your child is staying safe on Snapchat. You can also reach out to their safety team via their support site.

Instagram

  • Visual platform that allows users to share images, live stories/video content.
  • Offers a comprehensive guide for parents of how to check their kid’s privacy settings

Calculator%

  • A "Vault" or secret app that appears harmless, but hides photos, videos, files and browser history 
  • Looks like the calculator app on the phone

Omegle

  • Chat site that pairs users with strangers in text or video chat. 
  • Registration is not required. 
  • It is not a safe site for kids and teens. 
  • Child pornography has been an issue with this site.
  • While the platform offers community guidelines as well as moderated and unmoderated features, the unmoderated option is easily accessible by underage users, allowing them to access the live video and text chat options.

Roblox

  • Has become a popular game among young users
  • Users can communicate with each other with chats being automatically monitored for inappropriate content or any reference to personal information.
  • Parents and caregivers are encouraged to review the Kid Safety and Community Guidelines, as well as set additional safety settings and monitor interactions.

Messenger Kids

  • Intended for kids under the age of 13
  • Offers young users the opportunity to connect with friends and family in a more limited environment
  • Operated through the Facebook account of a parent or caregiver-all interactions and activities can be monitored and managed

WhatsApp

  • Users can exchange messages and pictures without having to pay messaging fees
  • Popular internationally as it only requires Wi-Fi for use

Kik

  • Lets users send texts, pictures, GIFs, videos, sketches, and more all within the app
  • Provides a guide for parents on how to monitor their child’s usage and privacy

TikTok

  • Popular content sharing platform, mainly to consume and engage with short-form video content
  • Encourages parents to enable controls to help your teen be safe

Xbox Live

  • Has a live chat features that allows players to communicate online and meetup with other users to play
  • Has family settings and parental controls that can be enabled on each individual user’s account

PlayStation

  • Live chat feature within many of its games
  • Encourages parents to create separate accounts for their children and set unique preferences for each

Steam

  • Described as the ultimate destination for playing, discussing and creating games
  • Gaming software platform similar to Xbox Live but more open to free interactions between players
  • A check on a random Thursday afternoon showed 5+ million users currently playing online
  • You can set up parental controls through the feature provided by Steam itself called “Family View.” 

Twitch

  • Live streaming platform, most popular in the gaming community, but is gaining popularity among mainstream users as well.
  • People can communicate with others in chat rooms or through private messaging.

Discord

  • Instant messaging platform allowing users to communicate with each other with voice or video calls, text messaging, private messaging, as well as sharing files and media through private chats or through communities called “servers”.
  • Tools to provide users with the ability to control their settings and avoid unwanted experiences, as well as specific pages for helping your teen stay safe and how to talk about online safety are available.

Yubo

  • Increasingly popular app among teens used to meet friends and engage with others who have similar interests
  • Divided into two communities by age (13-17 years) and (18+ years)
  • Users can livestream and interact with one another
  • Online Safety Center provides parents with answers to frequently asked questions and concerns

 

Source: realfriendsdont.org