During this digital age, it has become increasingly difficult for parents to safeguard children from online predators. Though electronic accessories like laptops, tablets, and phone aren’t immoral in themselves; various apps can expose children to dangers which can lead to disastrous results. To help parents navigate the ever-changing world and keep children safe, below are the most dangerous apps for kids that parents should watch out for.
1. Kik
A well-known child predator app that parents should know about is Kik. Unlike most apps out there, Kik is an app that specializes in hiding of messages. The aspect of being inconspicuous makes it hard for parents to regulate and note who their kids contact. As it makes use of usernames, it’s easy for strangers to meet and start communicating with children. Even though it has an age limit, pedophiles have been known to hide their real identity and groom children for sexual assault hence an app you should watch out for.
2. Snap chat
Snap chat is one of the well-known instant messaging apps that are popular among teens. Mostly, the popularity is due to the self-destructing element of messages that disappear after 24 hours. Unfortunately, the self-destructing feature has made many youths to believe that it’s full proof and hence use if for sexting. Additionally, as it has a GPS feature known as Snap Maps, it’s easy for a predator to locate teens; thus, the safety element makes it one of the most dangerous apps for teens.
3. Whisper
Another app parents should know about is Whisper. Over the years, it has grown from a modest social media outlet for funny videos and messages to an app where personal information is freely shared. Unfortunately, as users interact anonymously, it’s easy for predators to pretend to be someone else to get valuable information from teens. Given the naivety of most teens, many kids fall into the trap of divulging too much, putting themselves and their families in danger.
4. Ask.FM
Ask.fm uses a Q and A format to interact with other users. Often, the hidden aspect makes many teens ask indecent questions that can expose them to sexual predators. Additionally, with no way of verifying who is behind the keyboard, cases of bullying are rampant, which often leads to depression and suicide attempts making it into the list of most dangerous apps for tweens.
Tinder
An ever-growing app that parents should watch for is Tinder. The core element of the site makes it easier for strangers within a ten-mile radius to find each other easily. The GPS function in Tinder makes it a dangerous app as it enables tracking, and hence total strangers can quickly locate the whereabouts of kids. Additionally, given it’s for people over 18 years and above, it’s safe to assume that many people using the app are grownups; hence, your kids have no business using the app.
Conclusion
As seen above, some of the apps highlighted expose children to various dangers and can lead them to make bad decisions. Additionally, even though many apps purport to not storing texts or photos in the long run, it is a fact that once information is out on the internet, it doesn’t disappear completely.
If you still find it hard to regulate the use of mobile phones and shield them from the various most dangerous apps for kids, you should consider selling them at Swifttechbuy and only give them back their phone privileges when they are older and aware of online safety.
