Litterati App Guide for Parents

The Litterati app encourages users to clean up litter in their community while leveraging social networking.

What is the Litterati App?

• Users take photos of each piece of litter that they collect and dispose
• Then users identify the location and add tags to each litter photo to describe the item and/or brand type
• Once the user uploads their photos, the data is tracked and analyzed
• Photo, keyword, and location data is then used to work with companies and organizations to find more sustainable solutions
• Litterati tracks how many pieces of litter the user has uploaded, and rewards users with special messages once they reach specific landmarks
• The goal of the app is to track personal impact and that of the Litterati community

Why should parents care?

• Some parents are concerned because their students take photos of themselves with the trash they collect and then post the photo to the app with their exact location
• Many students are unaware of the dangers that come with “geo-tagging” or adding a location to the photos they post online
• Geo-tagging can make it easier for predators to target victims in their exact location and learn more information about them
• In addition to geo-tagging, Literatti uses the data from each photo to work with other organizations, some parents may be uncomfortable with their student’s images being used for this purpose

The Litterati app in the news

[Using Litterati] a group of 5th graders picked over 1,2000 pieces of litter in their schoolyard, noticing that the most common type of litter was the plastic straw wrappers from their own cafeteria, which led to the school eliminating the straws at the request of the students. –CNN

Litterati has the potential to create [an] online community that can gradually make a dent in a problem. –USA Today

What can parents do?

• Teach your students about the dangers of “geo-tagging” photos and posts on social media
• Explain how predators use geo-tagging information to target their victims offline
• Challenge your student to find ways to make an impact on your community offline
• For example, students can organize a monthly clean up coalition and post family-friendly photos from their efforts to help build a positive digital footprint
• If you decide as a family that it is safe to use Literatti, teach your students to never post any identifying personal information or photos of themselves with their trash on the app
• Consider joining Parent University to get videos you can watch WITH your kids so they will learn how to be safe and smart online