All you need to sign up is a phone number, Facebook, Instagram or an email (any of which are easy to fake). Just like Live.ly, there is no age verification. Musical.ly : This sister site to Live.ly is promoted as a fun app for “kids” to lip synch and create their own music videos to share. Anyone who has an account can access your child’s “live stream,” and your child has access to others’ live streams that often contain nudity and offensive language and behavior. Users create content and broadcast live to viewers that do not need to register any personal info or provide age verification. In fact my children knew about all of these, and had seen many of them on friends’ devices.Īmino : This app allows viewers to participate in online communities focused on similar interests, from Anime or Star Wars to Sexy Role Playing. It includes features for chatting, messaging, picture sharing, etc., all with strangers. We need to be aware of the apps that are available, because most likely, our kids already are. However, technology keeps moving forward and provides my kids with new ways to connect and communicate online, many of which–I am sad to admit–I had no idea.

I usually keep track of my kids’ online behavior, but then I just … stopped. With a little bit of mother-sleuthing I was able to deduce that the account was his. It was a private account and I just had a weird feeling about it. Everything checked out except for a social media account that I didn’t recognize.

Recently, my son finished his homework on a family computer and I felt prompted to check the history. That was my first mistake: feeling comfortable.

I thought I knew all about the dangers of Tinder and KIK and our family has solid rules about online behavior, so I felt comfortable. My children and I are friends on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. I consider myself to be a pretty “tech savvy” mom.

The worst ux apps of 2017