Social Media Awareness
It is important, as parents and educators, to stay as
informed as possible regarding the social media outlets teenagers use.
In this spirit, below is a list of relatively new social apps, many of
which are anonymous, do not require usernames, and are potentially
dangerous.
With our
collective involvement and supervision of technology usage, we can work
to ensure our kids are safe and exercise appropriate discretion while
using social media.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s principal.
After school
An anonymous social network that's high school specific. Users identify their school but not themselves
Ask.fm (age 13 +)
Anonymous posting of answers to questions asked, no control over negative comments, bullying, etc.
Burnbook (age 18+, 17 with parental permission)
You
do not need to sign in, and you do not create a username. As a
result, Burnbook gives kids the ability to pick a name and open up
anonymous judgment from the community, leading to possible cyberbullying
Cuddlr
Intended for adults- lets users connect with others in their vicinity (including strangers) who want a hug
Facebook (13+)
Connect with friends, family and other people you know. Share photos and videos, send messages and get updates
Finsta (13 +)
A
Finsta is a “fake” account, usually on Instagram, that is set to
private, with only a handful of people who are allowed access to those
materials.
Kik (age 17+)
Instant messaging app, free when using Wi-Fi, where anyone can contact a user and there is no approval process
Omegle (need parent permission under 18, not for users under 13)
Type a keyword and then you can text or use a webcam to "talk" to other users. Frequently cited for sexual content
Whisper (age not specific)
An anonymous confessional app that allows you to superimpose text over a photograph. Used to spread gossip
Snapchat (recommended for age 12+)
Allows users to capture videos and pictures that will erase after a few seconds
Instagram (age 13+)
Photo-sharing,
video-sharing and social networking service that enables its users to
take pictures and videos and share them on a variety of social
networking platforms
Strangermeetup.com (age not specific)
Chat with strangers at random in private chat rooms.
Tinder (age 13 +)
Is
a location-based social search mobile app that facilitates
communication between mutually interested users, allowing matched users
to chat.
Tumblr (age 13+)
Allows users to post text, images, videos, link, quotes and audio to their tumblelog, a short-form blog
Twitter (age 13 +)
Online
news and social networking service where users post and interact with
messages, “tweets” restricted to 140 characters. Registered users can
post tweets, but those who are unregistered can only read them.
Yik Yak (not intended for anyone under 17)
Users see anonymous messages from others in the same 1 1/2 mile radius
VSCO
Users can post pictures, similar to Instagram, but followers have no ability to comment.