The 5 apps every parent needs to know about
By Dan Nolan|
Parents and teenagers are going to have very different views about what apps they need to be using.
The good news is that the Office of the eSafety Commissioner has a list of nearly every app and ways parents can make them safer to use.
You can find that list here but we¡¯re going to focus on five apps in particular. If you see these on your child¡¯s phone then you better have a talk about them tonight.??
1. Omegle?
This is one of several apps known as "chat roulette". It allows live-streaming video and chat with complete strangers.
Registration is not required meaning you have no way to know the age of the person you¡¯re talking to even if they claim to be a teen.
The lack of age verification makes it a haven for online predators.
This is how the app¡¯s makers describe itself: "Omegle (oh¡¤meg¡¤ull) is a great way to meet new friends. When you use Omegle, we pick someone else at random and let you talk one-on-one. Predators have been known to use Omegle, so please be careful".
2. Yubo
Yubo is an online dating app aimed at teenagers. It¡¯s been called "Tinder for teens" and has more than one million monthly users in Australia alone.
Kids as young as 10 are using it to make friends based on their age, photo and most importantly, location.
Once again, there¡¯s very little in the way of age verification so you never know who you¡¯re actually talking to. A US Police Department put this warning out about it before it changed its name from Yellow to Yubo:
3. Monkey
Monkey is another "chat roulette" social media app that allows users to connect via live video chat for 15 seconds before both users must hit a button to continue.
But this one allows users to find each other by location. It means a predator can meet up with a teen online knowing that they also live in the same street.
Monkey¡¯s name is based on the three wise monkeys and claims to be a "safe space" on the internet aiming "to fill the loneliness void in teenagers" by connecting them.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has this advice: "Apps that allow young people to connect with complete strangers via live video chat can present several serious risks, especially for young people who are yet to fully develop the judgement and critical thinking needed to deal with such risks."?
4. Tik Toc (formerly known as Musical.ly)
Yet another popular kid¡¯s app to have changed its name, Tik Tok is a music video and social networking platform that allows users to create 15 second videos with a choice of background music.
Users can watch the musical clips on the app or shoot short clips of themselves and edit with special effects.
It sounds innocent enough and is a huge hit with millions of Aussie kids but it¡¯s the comments and chat function that can expose kids to bullying or predatory behaviour.
Users can turn the messaging option off its default option is set to public.?
5. Sarahah?
Sarahah is an "honesty" app that allows users to send anonymous direct messages to their friends.
It was designed in Saudi Arabia to provide positive encouragement in the workplace but once it hit the west, became a haven for cyber-bullying.
In the wake of 14-year-old Dolly Everett¡¯s death by suicide in January, a Rockhampton mum launched a petition to have the app banned in Australia.
It¡¯s no longer available in app stores but if was downloaded prior to the removal, it is still functioning.
