By Caroline Knorr, Common Sense Media
If your kid is among the 73% of teens who have access to a smartphone, you're well aware of the app obsession that can take over a brain and body in seconds. Multiply that by the average student population at your middle or high school, and you see the problem many schools are facing this back-to-school season. For teens, smartphones + apps = social networking. And where there's social networking, there's sure to be drama.
While a lot of social networking is harmless -- and even beneficial -- some apps are specifically designed to appeal to users' darker impulses. Confessionals, anonymous comments, incriminating photos, rumor-mongering -- that sort of thing. Worse, some apps apply location services to this already combustible mix, connecting everyone in a school and magnifying problems like cyberbullying, gossip, and physical threats.
Keep these apps on your radar, and talk to your kids about responsible social networking:
- Yik Yak. This "location aware" social networking app lets users post "anything and everything" anonymously. The brief, Twitter-like comments and photos are distributed to any 500 people using Yik Yak closest to you geographically. Anonymous threats against schools and individual students have prompted many schools to ban the app, using the company's "geo fencing" guidelines to restrict communications in a certain area. Also watch out for: Streetchat - Image Board for Schools and Colleges, Burnbook, and After School - Funny Anonymous School News for Confessions & Compliments.
More back-to-school advice from Common Sense Media
The Ultimate Clean Slate Handbook
Tips, Tricks, and Tools to Get Kids Ready for Kindergarten
5 Ways to Bring Rules Back After Summer
Common Sense Media is an independent nonprofit organization offering unbiased ratings and trusted advice to help families make smart media and technology choices. Check out our ratings and recommendations at www.commonsense.org