Apps are arguably the reason many people have a smartphone in the first place. Apps let us all do things like ordering your coffee in advance, checking in for a haircut, passing the time while waiting in line, or mapping your way to a soccer game. It is hard to imagine a world without all of these nifty creations.
Not all apps are created equal though. There are apps in the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play Store (Android) that are not as helpful. These apps were not necessarily developed for nefarious reasons per se, but they can be used in ways that can help or even encourage children to make poor choices. Often, kids are not even aware of the information they are sharing with the world when using these apps. I’ve pulled together a list of potentially dangerous apps that are popular with teens and young adults.
Hidden Vault / Calculator + / KeepSafe
Apps like this are utilities designed to hide photos and videos from prying eyes. Once installed, KeepSafe allows you to set up a pin code to access hidden photos and videos. The icon for the app looks like a few music notes which helps to disguise it from its true purpose. Calculator + works in a similar fashion. The difference is that when you open Calculator +, you’ll get a working calculator on the screen. Users have to enter a secret passcode on the calculator to access the hidden content.
Why is this a concern?
Apps like this, known as “vault apps.” allow children to hide inappropriate content from the adults in their lives. For example, if they have received an explicit image or even taken one of themselves (40% have), these apps would hide those photos from the gallery of pictures on the phone.
Badoo / Bumble / Yubo / Hot or Not
Badoo and Bumble are popular dating apps, similar to Tinder. This set of apps is designed to help users set up a romantic encounter with other users who are within a certain GPS radius of each other. People upload a few photos of themselves along with a catchy description of their personality. If a user “flags” (swipes left, stars, etc.) another person and that person does the same in return, then the app allows the two people to communicate via text and pictures. While Badoo and Bumble are trendy with the college crowd, Yubo is often referred to as “Tinder for Teens” due to its popularity with teenagers and young adults. Yubo users create a virtual room with up to four people live-streaming their camera. Yubo allows an unlimited number of people to watch these unmoderated live rooms.
Why is this a concern?
Other than the obvious concern of teens communicating and potentially hooking up with random strangers, these app use GPS location to connect users. Adults/predators can use a fake profile and message to trick teens into meeting face to face. Teenagers and young adults should steer clear of this group.
Snapchat / SnapHack
Snapchat has been one of the most popular apps among young adults for several years now. Snapchat is used to send pictures or even small movies (snaps) with a short message overlaid across to other Snapchat users. Users can also apply image filters, lenses, and bitmojis to add some special effects to the snaps. The messages self-destruct after a set amount of time (1-10 seconds) determined by the sender.
Snapchat initially became popular due to the short amount of time a snap could be viewed. Users liked the idea that they could send an image that would not reside online forever. It would disappear after a few seconds. Snapchat quickly became the defacto app for sexting and inappropriate photos. It wasn’t long before users discovered that those images could be saved by the viewer and they were not immediately removed from the Snapchat servers. Though the app had a rocky start, it has since morphed into a “must have” among teens and young adults.
Why is this a concern?
Snapchat is a favorite mode of communication for many people. The vast majority of those snaps are harmless. While it can have a darker side, many snaps simply depict various portions of a user’s daily life. Parents should be aware of what Snapchat is and how it works. SnapHack presents the larger threat. This app allows the user to save an image from Snapchat to their phone without informing the person who sent it. Once kept, it can be forwarded to other kids who can use the photo to bully, harass, or embarrass the original sender.
Ask.fm / YikYak
These two apps have no real purpose other than to cause trouble. There have been several iterations of Ask.fm since it was created in 2010. Users can choose to create a profile or they can use the site anonymously. The idea behind the site is that users could post questions and others would respond with honest feedback and comments. Cyberbullying immediately became a massive problem on the site. People post whatever mean/hurtful comments they choose under full anonymity. YikYak is similar. YikYak creates an anonymous chat room for anyone within a five-mile radius. The original version of the app was widely known for sexual harassment, threats, racism, and cyberbullying. It was shut down in 2017 due to these concerns. The newest version of the app (released in late 2021) claims to address these issues, but complaints show that the guardrails put in place are not effective. YikYak support can trace comments back to specific users, however, law enforcement may need to be involved before action can be taken.
Why is this a concern?
Sites and apps like this are a hotbed for racist comments, vulgar posts, bullying, and threats. YikYak has been used to make threats on K-12 schools several times since November of 2021. Imagine Facebook where anyone could say whatever they wanted with total anonymity. Cyberbullying on Ask.fm was linked to teens committing suicide on more than one occasion. Teens may be drawn to sites like this because of the “drama” they can create. These apps are bad news, plain and simple.
Kik / Jott / Live.Me
Kik Messenger is a massively popular messaging app among teenagers, with over 15.2 million active monthly users. Kik allows users to send messages via WiFi and it’s not necessarily tied to a phone number. In plain English, it is mostly private text messaging that doesn’t require a phone number or a data plan. Just WiFi and access to the app are all anyone needs to begin communicating with other users. Jott combines the messaging power of Kik with the “vanishing photos/videos” features of SnapChat. It uses Bluetooth to connect to other users which allows it to get around many of the filtering systems put in place by parents or schools to prevent this type of behavior. Live.me is a streaming platform that allows viewers to use real money to purchase “coins” to tip streamers or pay for videos.
Why is this a concern?
Kik is considered one of the most significant concerns by law enforcement agencies due to its popularity, ease of use, and privacy. A snippet from an article on The Verge stated “Reporters from the two publications posed as 13 and 14-year-old girls on the app, and within an hour of joining several public groups, the two profiles received numerous private messages from male users, including some with explicit language and images.” Jott’s ability to bypass security is highly concerning. The silver lining to this black cloud is that its connection has a limited range of 100ft. Teens must be within that small radius to use this sneaky app. Live.me uses geolocation features, meaning it can be very easy for a predator to find out where a user is streaming from. The app is rated for 17+ and does not belong on a teenage or young adult’s smartphone.
In Conclusion
It is a daunting task to stay apprised of the latest app or online craze that is sweeping young America. An ongoing conversation about appropriate phone and internet use is essential. I urge you to consider checking your child’s phone often, setting technology boundaries, and monitoring their online behavior. Ongoing and consistent communication will help your child to develop those behaviors that will ultimately lead them to independence in making safe and responsible choices online and on their smartphones.
Mike Daugherty is a husband, father of three young children, author, speaker, Google Innovator, and possible Starbucks addict. He is a certified educational technology leader who has served in a variety of roles through his twenty-year career in public education. Currently, Mike is the Director of Technology for the Chagrin Falls Exempted Village School district in Northeast Ohio. As an IT director he has developed creative, well thought out solutions that positively impact teaching and learning.