+ TECH Trends
7
Apps That Parents
Need to Know
In a world of smartphones, where everything you need is literally at your fingertips,
make sure you’re staying up to date on the latest apps that could be potentially harmful
in the hands of your kids.
By Lyndsay Fogarty
These days, there is an app for
everything. For the most part,
this is convenient. Everything
you need is in one easy-to-find place:
your phone. But as developers continue
to create apps that cater to convenience,
more dangers are lurking on
kids’ smart devices.
It’s likely that your children
already have a phone so you can
reach them at all times and a tablet
to keep them occupied, so it’s important
that you monitor the apps
they’re downloading, even the ones
that seem harmless. Here are some
popular apps that you may be using
yourself but that could be harmful
in the hands of kids.
Smartphone Secrecy
Apps likes Best Secret Folder
and Secret Calculator look normal
(they hide behind typical icons like a
utilities folder and calculator, respectively)
but they allow kids to safely
guard photos, videos and notes that
they don’t want their parents to see.
Both require passwords and both include
systems that document intruders
by snapping a photo. Best Secret
Folder includes an optional feature
that, when activated, will make you
think you have cracked the code by
playing fake videos. Secret Calculator
users can activate a feature that erases
all data in the app when attempts to
log in have failed five times.
Toxic Talks
It is all too easy to use messaging
apps recklessly. Kik and WhatsApp
are free texting apps that allow users
to message people directly without
using a phone number. Sure, you can
talk to friends and family while getting
around data plans, but strangers
can reach out via these apps, too. Kids
may also see them as a way to send inappropriate
messages away from parents’
prying eyes.
Not the Norm
Dating apps are a great way for
adults to meet new people, but in
the hands of teenagers, they can be
harmful. Although some have age
limits, it’s easy to create accounts
using a different age and meet people
who are much older that potentially
don’t have the best of intentions.
With MeetMe and Skout,
users can connect with others based
on their location, and they are encouraged
to meet in person. On
Bumble, a dating app that connects
individuals with similar interests
and requires the woman to reach
out first, accounts are created using
an individual’s Facebook account.
This means that personal information
that is set as private and is
monitored by parents on Facebook
is now available for strangers to see
through Bumble.
It’s more important than ever
to be aware of what your kids and
teenagers are doing on their smartphones
and to stay in the know
about the dangers that could be
lurking.
52 Central Florida Lifestyle | August 2019