Apps

Lifestage, a new video app by Facebook, connects high school students with others from their school. Rather than profile photos, the app uses a series of selfies where users can show off their "faces." Users record videos to show off what they like and dislike and who their friends, pets, boyfriends and girlfriends are.  People over the age of 21 will not be able to see the content. A quick swipe blocks and reports people but it is too soon to tell how effective it will be at punishing bullies and trolls. The app was just released last week and is certainly something to have on your parent radar, especially since it marks Facebook’s attempt to lure in younger users.

Lifestage, a new video app by Facebook, connects high school students with others from their school. Rather than profile photos, the app uses a series of selfies where users can show off their "faces." Users record videos to show off what they like and dislike and who their friends, pets, boyfriends and girlfriends are.  People over the age of 21 will not be able to see the content. A quick swipe blocks and reports people but it is too soon to tell how effective it will be at punishing bullies and trolls. The app was just released last week and is certainly something to have on your parent radar, especially since it marks Facebook’s attempt to lure in younger users.

Are social media apps all just becoming look alikes? Darrell Etherington’s recent article, The Social App Redudancy Engine, proposes so. Etherington points out that when one social media app boasts a unique feature, the rest soon follow suit. This may be good news for parents struggling to keep with what’s new. The question is, though, which app will come out on top when they all become essentially the same?

Are social media apps all just becoming look alikes? Darrell Etherington’s recent article, The Social App Redudancy Engine, proposes so. Etherington points out that when one social media app boasts a unique feature, the rest soon follow suit. This may be good news for parents struggling to keep with what’s new. The question is, though, which app will come out on top when they all become essentially the same?

The speed at which teens adopt and master new social networks and apps can be dizzying, and it can make it difficult for parents to respond when a child reports being bullied on a platform that parents are not familiar with. One thing to stay aware of is the growing swarm of anonymous messaging apps like Whisper, After School, and Yik Yak.  This extensive list of ways to report problematic behavior on various social networks and apps is also useful if you need to report an incident.

The speed at which teens adopt and master new social networks and apps can be dizzying, and it can make it difficult for parents to respond when a child reports being bullied on a platform that parents are not familiar with. One thing to stay aware of is the growing swarm of anonymous messaging apps like Whisper, After School, and Yik Yak.  This extensive list of ways to report problematic behavior on various social networks and apps is also useful if you need to report an incident.

Chatbots are anticipated to be the next big thing, and it could be teens that drive the chatbot revolution. With 88% of mobile users spending their online time within just five apps, chatbots have become a way for companies to reach consumers, particularly the youngest users, through messaging apps that they are already using. About eight in ten of U.S. teens are using chat platforms and their heavy use of chat apps such as Facebook Messenger, Kik, WeChat, and WhatsApp? could make them the “early adopters of the faster, simpler, and more engaging messaging communication channels offered by conversational bots.” Kik, one of the most popular messaging apps for teens, has already launched about 6,000 new chatbots in the last month.

Chatbots are anticipated to be the next big thing, and it could be teens that drive the chatbot revolution. With 88% of mobile users spending their online time within just five apps, chatbots have become a way for companies to reach consumers, particularly the youngest users, through messaging apps that they are already using. About eight in ten of U.S. teens are using chat platforms and their heavy use of chat apps such as Facebook Messenger, Kik, WeChat, and WhatsApp? could make them the “early adopters of the faster, simpler, and more engaging messaging communication channels offered by conversational bots.” Kik, one of the most popular messaging apps for teens, has already launched about 6,000 new chatbots in the last month.

Snapchat is violating California law and the Communications Decency Act by failing to warn minors and their parents about sexually explicit content, according to a class action lawsuit filed recently. The suit targets a feature introduced last year, Snapchat Discover, which allows users to share articles and images from media partners. Most of the articles and images are pretty innocuous, but some such as “People share their secret sex rules” and “Has an alien ever gotten you pregnant?” also appear. Snapchat’s Terms of Service do not warn against potentially offensive content nor do they notify parents of filtering options.

Snapchat is violating California law and the Communications Decency Act by failing to warn minors and their parents about sexually explicit content, according to a class action lawsuit filed recently. The suit targets a feature introduced last year, Snapchat Discover, which allows users to share articles and images from media partners. Most of the articles and images are pretty innocuous, but some such as “People share their secret sex rules” and “Has an alien ever gotten you pregnant?” also appear. Snapchat’s Terms of Service do not warn against potentially offensive content nor do they notify parents of filtering options.