Dangerous Apps of the month...

iFunny – This is an image based joke app. “There’s enough swearing, sexual banter, soft porn images, and rude and hateful comments to negate anything else in the mix that’s remotely funny” (Villamagna, n.d.).

Adult Player – (We did not include the app icon as it is pornographic.) This is an android app that does not appear in any vetted storefronts, such as Google Play. Instead, users install the app directly from a website. It is said to offer free porn. But it’s actually something called ransomware. The app uses the cameras forward facing camera to secretly capture an image of the user. The user is then locked out of the phone until a $500 ransom is paid. (http://educateempowerkids.org/dangerous-apps/)

I am amazed every day, working at an Elementary School of the number of kids in grades K-5 who have smartphones. I know of an incident where a 5th-grade girl took a video of a classmate acting silly, without his permission.  The boy became very upset saying that he knew she was going to post it to Snapchat so everyone could make fun of him.  He was probably right.  Kids these days are not being taught safe or appropriate behavior when it comes to cell phone use. It is very important for you to start when your kids are still young BEFORE you buy them a cell phone. They need to understand that not everyone is who they say they are online. That cute boy that's been sending you messages could very well be a creepy 45 yr old pervert. Bottom line...TALK to your kids about safety. You don't have to be crazy paranoid and make them end up hiding things from you, but you do have to be informed and have conversations with them about staying safe. Below are some tips from educateempowerkids.org.

• BE THE PARENT. Don’t allow your child to roam free in the dangerous and unhealthy environments many of these apps provide. Click on any apps you don’t recognize on your child’s phone.
• Discuss the hidden dangers of social media that teens may not recognize. On many live streaming videos, tweens and teens can be seen giving out their full names and the city and state in which they live. Kids need to be taught not to over-share on the Internet.
• Set restrictions on their cell phones and check the phone often.
• Internet filters are also a great option. But no filter will stop everything; so establishing yourself as someone your teen can talk to is vital.