What parents know of their kids social media habits is only the tip of the iceberg. Because before parents have even had the chance to catch up with the workings of Facebook, the kids moved onto Twitter. And once parents start getting the hang of this 140-character-or-less vocation, the kids had long moved onto WhatsApp. So the problem is, how can parents monitor their children’s online habits when they don’t know what to monitor?
So if your social media knowledge ends at Facebook and Twitter, let me tell you about a few other apps that your children might be using on their smartphone these days.
Snapchat
Snapchat is essentially a messaging app, but instead of talking through text, you talk through pictures. The snaps you send and receive can only be viewed for 10 seconds, after which they are gone forever. However, if you’re a tech savvy parent, you should know that anything your kid does on the internet leaves a digital footprint. Not the menton ,the “gone forever” element relieves your kid of accountability, which means they can get in all sorts of risque behavior and never get in trouble for it.
KIK
KIK is another messaging app, quite similar to WhatsApp, except instead of just talking to people on your phonebook, you can talk to complete strangers, too. All you need is a registered username. Here’s more about it…
If your children have KIK on their phones, chances are they could be talking to anyone; it could be one of their school friends or someones they have just met on the internet.
Ask.fm
Ask.fm is a social media website and app where users can ask each other questions. Sounds harmless enough, until you get to know that these questions can be asked complete anonymously as well. And that gives way for your kid to be cyber-bullied, because once again, with anonymity, accountability vanishes, and the askers can be edgier that they would be under their true identities.
Vine
Vine is an app through which users can make and share 6 second videos. It’s really popular with comedians and reporters. And while you think 6 second videos cannot amount to much, you’d be surprised at the endless possibilities people have discovered. And it seems it is the fastest growing app…
Believe it or not, people have found fame with this app–they’re called Vine stars. And following them, people have gone to any lengths to get themselves noticed on the app. And sometimes, it goes very wrong.
Keep Yourself Updated!
Your parental controls are of no use if you don’t know what you’re protecting your kids from in the first place. So be as up-to-date with your smartphone as your kid are! Knowing about all these apps will only let you know what to keep your kids away from and what not to fret about. And it will brush up your e-parenting skills!
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