Kik, SnapChat, and the dangers to children

One of the most popular and most discussed apps is KiK. The messaging app does not require an e-mail address or phone number.  There also isn’t much to verify that users are over 13, the age that KiK feels is appropriate to use their app. Users can stay mostly anonymous and much of the information shared is kept secret which may seem good for the user but this app has been tied to a murder, kidnapping, drug crimes, child pornography, cyber bullying, and much more. The secrecy and anonymity have at time made it difficult for police in their investigations. With an estimated 275 million users, 70% of which are from the United States, the app has attracted a lot of attention from teens and millennials. Another popular messaging app, Snapchat, also allows users to send photos and videos in a fashion where they only exist for a short time period and are deleted automatically. Users are notified if a user re-watches or takes a screenshot of a "snap" and there is a user verification mechanism.  Users have a false sense of safety and anonymity but there are ways to record and keeping pictures and videos from Snapchat. Snapchat, like KiK, has also had its share of users behaving badly with underage users taking nude pictures and videos which may seem harmless but can (and in some cases has) lead to criminal charges for the manufacture and/or distribution of child pornography. Police and schools are warning teens and young adults that there are adult consequences to their behavior on these messaging apps. Nude photographs and video of persons under 18 are treated as child pornography in most municipalities. There are adults using the messaging apps to manipulate young people for their own illegal purposes.

Below are three articles going into greater depth about crimes and problems related to KiK and Snapchat:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/06/us/social-media-apps-anonymous-kik-crime.html

http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2016/02/07/do-you-know-what-apps-your-child-using/79988196/

http://www.wdrb.com/story/31181366/officials-anonymous-smartphone-apps-could-be-used-to-target-children

Guardians and parents can set-up apps to send notifications allowing them to monitor use in real-time. Apple and Google account users can require a password to download a new app and can opt to receive an e-mail when an app is downloaded. There are settings on devices that restrict what can be done on them and require a password or PIN number to change those settings. To learn more about how to do this, perform a Web search for parental controls for the device in question, or look at the user manual for the device to see what setting can be adjusted. There are apps and services that allow for monitoring, control over the apps and filter the web content underage users can gain access,to  and tracking a user's device (location and use). There are a lot of good apps and services available that can be found by searching for "parental control apps". Some reviews for apps and services can be found below:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-parental-control-apps,review-2258.html

http://lifehacker.com/circle-is-the-parental-control-for-the-internet-ive-alw-1747520805

http://familytime.io/

http://cell-phone-parental-control-software-review.toptenreviews.com/