Publication date: October 7, 2024
What apps should children avoid?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Online safety experts at Gabb have revealed the top apps they should never allow their children to use.
This list included many social media apps that leave the door open for predators and other bad actors to access children. The list included TikTok, Kik, Facebook Reels, Instagram, and Twitch.
TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook Reels all have similarities in that they all offer endless content for kids to scroll through, and kids can become addicted to their screens. TikTok and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, have all been the subject of lawsuits in the past due to their addictive nature, and have come under heavy criticism for spreading dangerous content across their platforms.
Kik, on the other hand, is a messaging app that became popular in the early 2010s and is still a common app used by teenagers. But this messenger has been proliferated by criminals, making things even worse by allowing them to join unmoderated message groups. In 2022 and 2023, Kick was placed on the National Center for Sexual Exploitation’s “Dirty Dozen” list for being with criminals. The anonymous messaging app is a “predator’s paradise” for grooming children and sharing images of child abuse, in addition to hardcore pornography and prostitution advertisements. ”
Finally, Twitch is a streaming website primarily used for streaming video games. However, the platform’s moderation standards are weak and inconsistently implemented, leaving the site full of streamers who exploit sexuality to gain views. The website changed its policy in December to allow full nudity, then quickly reversed course and cracked down on sexual content. Despite this, the grounds are still full of people ignoring the rules and towing lines, creating an unsuitable environment for children.
These are some of the most dangerous apps for children, but thousands of others would make this list. Ultimately, parents are responsible for the content their children consume on a regular basis and are the final line of defense for their children’s safety. Movieguide® advises parents to frequently discuss the content their children are watching to ensure that they are not being exposed to harm.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Online safety experts at Gabb have revealed the top video games they should never let their kids play.
Unfortunately, the list was full of extremely popular games that are played by hundreds of millions of children every day. Games that experts named included Roblox, Grand Theft Auto (GTA), Fortnite, and more.
The common element in all these games is the use of largely unfiltered communications. This exposes players to highly inappropriate content and opens the door for fraud and abuse. However, these games also have individual issues.
