It’s September 2017: Do You Know What Apps Your Kids Are Using?

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Your kids are using many of the same apps as You. But there are a few you probably weren’t aware of.

Is your teen or tween glued to their phone and texting 24/7? Don’t worry, that’s normal.

However, it’s a good idea to be having regular conversations with them about what they are doing online. Also, it’s good to educate yourself and your teen about newer messaging apps that can facilitate cyberbullying by using anonymity, keeping secrets, or spreading rumours. Here is an overview of some of the apps popular right now in 2017.

Sarahah

Sarahah is an anonymous messaging app that has been getting a lot of buzz (it has been a top download this summer in the big app stores). And not all of that buzz has been good (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/sarahah-honesty-app-bullying-harassment-canada-1.4264848). Teens can create a profile using their Snapchat login and then send messages to each other. However, they can choose to make these messages anonymous, making it very easy to send mean and hurtful messages.

Audio Manager

You’d be forgiven if you thought that an app with the name ‘Audio Manger’ is for managing music. It isn’t. Audio Manager is an app for hiding other apps, pictures, videos, and more. When you press and hold the app, it reveals a lock screen, behind which your teen can hide what they like.

Calculator%

This app can easily be mistaken for a calculator. That isn’t what it does, though. Calculator% is actually a photo vault—an app used for keeping pictures hidden and secret. Apps like these are how teenagers keep nude sexting secret from parents and teachers.

Vaulty

Another picture vault app, Vaulty will snap a picture of anyone attempting to access it’s hidden pictures without a password.

Kik Messenger

Kik is a messaging app that allows users to send texts, pictures, and videos to each other over data. However, it’s also the app of choice for users who hook up with each other via personals sites like Reddit’s r/dirtykikpals.

Fess

Here’s what Fess has to say for itself on the iTunes store: “Fess lets you post anonymously to your high school. Only students allowed in, no Fesses allowed out. This is your high school’s own confessions app.” A school-wide clearinghouse of anonymous messages sounds like a recipe for cyberbullying.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Snapchat

You’re certainly aware of these apps. And you may be on a few of them yourself. However, leading statistics say that these are the four most used apps for young people. We aren’t saying that these particular apps are predisposed to allowing bullying, but where there are concentrations of teens on the internet, there will by cyberbullying, so it’s a good idea to monitor what your teens and tweens are doing on apps that aren’t so new and cool.

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Welcome!

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Welcome to this new website and blog.  I’m Jenna Shapka, a Professor at the University of British Columbia. I’m also a research partner with PREVNet, and I helped create this site. This site is designed to be a resource for parents about kids and technology, with a particular focus on understanding and dealing with cyberbullying.  I also happen to be a parent, with a 10-year old son and a 13-year old daughter, so I am living and breathing all the uncertainty and drama that raising kids in a digital age entails.  All of the content for this site is based on empirical evidence, but many of the examples or suggestions come from my experience as a parent.

This website represents a partnership between PREVNet and Primus.  I led the development of the content, and Primus worked with me to build it.  In developing the site, I really wanted it to be useful for parents, so we did several things:

  1. We conducted a scan of existing cyberbullying/technology websites, and found that there are a lot of outdated websites out there (myspace! ICQs!), as well as sites that approach this topic from a fear-mongering perspective, which just makes it more stressful.
  2. We reviewed of the research literature to make sure that we were completely up to speed on all the latest research about cyberbullying.
  3. We hosted a national survey, which asked parents to identify the most important issues related to kids and technology.

Armed with all of this information and data, I started to develop the content for the site.  Primus contracted Kuration and Lush Concepts to support the marketing and site development, respectively, and as you can see, they were able work with me to organize and translate my academic mumbo jumbo into a beautiful, clear, and easy-to-navigate site.  We did one last thing before deciding we were ready for launch.  In June and July of this year, we held several focus groups with parents to see what they thought of the site.  We got very helpful feedback (most of it positive, phew!), and updated the site accordingly, which hopefully has made it even more informative and useful.  Overall, this has been a really great experience for me, as an academic, to work with an industry partner such as Primus.  PREVNet has posted a feature article that talks about the richness of this experience for all of us.

Watch this space for more from me.  I’m new to blogging, but excited about the possibilities. I also have a team of graduate students who will be posting here as well.  Our hope is that the site will be useful for Canadian parents, but also that it sparks dialogue about what the heck it means for kids (and parents!) to be growing up in this new era, where technology reigns supreme.

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