Inappropriate activity on any app can have a negative impact on your child’s college and career opportunities. However, some children feel like they can act out on certain apps because it’s anonymous or the content disappears over time.
Why should students care?
- Using apps to hide your social media activity might mean you are engaging in behaviors that could hurt your digital footprint
- Would you want your hidden activity to be found by your dream school or future employer?
- Everything you post on social media or send in messages can be discovered online-even if you use apps that claim to delete your post after a set amount of time, like Snapchat or Instagram stories
Why should parents care?
- Some kids might think they can use certain apps to engage in negative activities because that activity won’t show up on their parent’s phone bill
- Using these apps can be dangerous and put your child at risk of encountering predators. So, it’s important to monitor the apps your children download
What could go wrong?
According to a report from ABC, there are child predators who know about these apps, and try to engage with your child. Take them offline and say ‘hey, download this app, we can communicate that way, no one ever has to know’.
Apps that can hide activity from parents
How to find all hidden apps on an iPhone
- On your child’s phone, open the App Store
- In the bottom right corner, click Updates
- Select Purchased
- Click My Purchases
- This is where you can access and review every app your student has ever downloaded
How to find all hidden apps on an Android phone
- On your child’s phone, open the Google Play Store. Ensure you are on the homepage
- Select the 3 line icon next to the search bar
- Click on My Apps & Games
- Select the All tab
- This is where you can access and review every app your student has ever downloaded
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