Instagram Direct is like texting with photos or videos and you can do it with up to 15 mutual friends. Hashtags and location information can make photos even more visible to communities beyond a teen's followers if his or her account is public. Photos and videos shared on Instagram are public unless privacy settings are adjusted. Posting a photo or video can be problematic if teens are posting to validate their popularity.
If your kid is in one of the latter, the risk is much lower. There are plenty of groups that are meant for adults only, and some are totally tame and well moderated. Some groups are more moderated than others, some are NSFW, and some are hate-filled.
The safest option is for them to join a private group with people they know in real life. Teens can join public groups, ask to join private ones, or start their own. There are public and private "servers" or discussion groups. It also encourages you to add friends who haven't signed up yet.ĭiscord started as a place for gamers to chat while playing video games but has become a bigger platform where users can use text, voice-chat, and video-chat to discuss a wide variety of topics. After you sign up, it automatically connects you to all the people in your address book who also are using WhatsApp. Lots of younger teens seem to be using the app, but this age minimum has been set by WhatsApp. WhatsApp lets users send text messages, audio messages, videos, and photos to one or many people with no message limits or fees. It also offers specially designed apps (accessible only through the main app), many of which offer products for sale. Kik specializes in "promoted chats" - basically, conversations between brands and users. The app allegedly has been used in high-profile crimes, including the murder of a 13-year-old girl and a child-pornography case. Kik allows communication with strangers who share their Kik usernames to find people to chat with. Because it's an app, the texts won't show up on your kid's phone's messaging service, and you're not charged for them (beyond standard data rates). It's fast and has no message limits, character limits, or fees if you only use the basic features. Kik Messenger is an app that lets kids text for free. Without fees or limits, teens can share and text to their heart's content, which may mean they rarely put the phone down. The embedded GIFs and emojis have some adult themes, such as drinking and sex. Users also can send photos, videos, and calendar links.
GroupMe is an app that doesn't charge fees or have limits for direct and group messages. So take inventory of your kids' apps and review the best practices. The bottom line for most of these tools? If teens are using them respectfully, appropriately, and with a little parental guidance, they're mostly fine. The more you know about each, the better you'll be able to communicate with your teen about safe choices. But knowing the basics - what they are, why they're popular, and what problems can crop up when they're not used responsibly - can make the difference between a positive and a negative experience for your kid.īelow, we've laid out some of the most popular types of apps and websites for teens: texting, microblogging, livestreaming, self-destructing/secret, and chatting/meeting/dating. But you don't need to know all the ins and outs of all the apps, sites, and terms that are "hot" right now (and frankly, if you did, they wouldn't be trendy anymore). This can be challenging for parents to keep up with. And though household names such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter have proven their staying power, teens love to try out new apps they hear about from friends, ads, or even what's trending in the app store. Though some teens still use it, they prefer to use a variety of apps to connect, curate, and capture their lives in different ways.
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