GCS Parents INTERNET SAFETY
May 1, 2014
Yik Yak
With this app, users can post anonymous comments or questions. To put it simply this app is vile. The comments are crude and explicit. It's being used to bully and demean people.
Read what Common Sense Media says about Yik Yak -- Click Here
Watch what CBS 19 had to say about Yik Yak -- Click Here
ASK.fm
Ask.fm is a social networking site where users post random questions. The site can be accessed via the web or its app. Because it's a social networking app, it is not allowed on student iPads.
The site has attracted a great deal of negative press lately when it was cited as a contributing factor in the suicides of several teenagers. A Google news search for Ask.fm, will give you far too many news articles of teenagers who committed suicide after being cyberbullied on Ask.fm.
The takeaway here is to talk to your son or daughter. Do they have an Ask.fm account? If they do, look at it. Talk about it. My warnming to parents is always to consider who you are allowing into your child's life. Ask.fm gives the world to unfiltered access to your child. That should set off warning bells for you.
Vine
Shortly after Vine was introduced, pornographers found it and began using it for their purposes. January 2013, CNET reported that pornographic videos were showing up on Vine. They also noted that Vine's terms of service, "do not expressly forbid sexually explicit content."
When first introduced, Vine had a 12+ rating from Apple. However, in February, after many users reported finding pornographic videos on Vine, Apple raised the rating to 17+. Read news article here.
This should remind you of your need to set restrictions on your son or daughter's iDevice so that he/she is not allowed to install apps with a 17+ rating.
Instagram in the News
Regardless of Instagram's Terms and Conditions, if your child is using Instagram, please check their privacy settings. The safest route to take is to make their profile private. Next, check to see how many followers they have. You might be surprised to find that your son or daughter has over 1,000 followers. The only to get rid of unwanted followers is to block the follower. I've provided instructions for blocking followers below.
Here are 2 resources for you if you are interested in learning more about how to protect your child on Instagram.
Deleted Snapchats Are Not Deleted
In several of our parent meetings we discussed Snapchat. It's the app that allows the user to share pictures. It's like texting with pictures instead of words. The selling point for Snapchat is that the pictures disappear after a short period of time.
The problem with this is that the recipient can take a screenshot of the Snapchat picture before it disappears and share that picture with the world. Remember, nothing online is private.
New research shows that those photos you thought were deleted from your phone by Snapchat, are not really deleted. Read this news story to learn more.
Great Free App for Parents
The people at Common Sense Media have a free app that you might want. It's called Kids Media. Common Sense Media has a huge database of movie, music, books, and app reviews.
Now the power of the Common Sense Media database is in the palm of your hand. Check out the app here.
Extra Resources
Raising Kids in a Pornified Culture - Click here
Internet Safety Resources - Click here
Christina Jontra
Email: cjontra@gracetyler.org
Website: gracetyler.org
Location: 3001 University Blvd, Tyler, TX
Phone: 903-566-5661
Twitter: @jontracation