Written by WeZift.com
Are you unsure which apps are safe for your kids and teens to use? Screen time can be difficult to manage for families and the biggest question is which apps are appropriate for kids to download onto their smartphones and tablets. Not to worry – we’ve compiled a list of over 30 dangerous apps that kids and teens are using. Take a look at some of the most popular apps that are not recommended for kids:
Dangerous Messaging Apps for Kids
Messaging apps are a good way for kids to stay in contact with friends, families and peers. If there are not strong privacy settings enabled or content moderators, there is a possibility of kids being exposed to strangers and possibly mature content.
- GroupMe
GroupMe is a group messaging app where users can chat with large numbers of friends or strangers.
- Chatous
The Chatous app randomly matches users to strangers across the world.
- Oovoo
Oovoo is a free messaging and video calling for one-on-one chats or group chats with up to 8 users.
Dangerous Live Streaming Apps for Kids
Live streaming can be a fun way for kids to express themselves and see what their friends are doing. However, it can also be intrusive and unsafe for children and teens who may come into contact with online strangers or mature content. Live streaming apps are best used with parental supervision.
- Tik Tok
Similar to the popular (and now defunct) Musical.ly and Live.ly apps, Tik Tok has rolled the most popular features from those apps into this new live streaming video app.
- Live.Me
The Live.Me app allows users to connect with people all over the world to live stream, watch videos and chat.
- Bigo
Bigo is another popular live streaming app where users connect through live video.
Dangerous Hookup Apps for Kids
Dating and hookup apps are not recommended for teenagers or kids. In fact, most dating apps require their users to be 17 years of age or older in order to use their services, however most dating apps have little or no age verification and many rely on location tracking to pair up matches. For kids, this can be dangerous because strangers can easily be aware of your child’s location and can have access to view/share photos and chat with them directly.
- Down
Down is a new dating app where users can connect to find romantic matches or hookups. It is not intended to be used by people under the age of 17.
- Badoo
Badoo is a chat and dating app where users are connected based on crossed geo-location paths. This app is also not intended for minors, but does not have strict age verification.
- Tinder
Tinder is a very popular dating app for adults focused on geo-location and a swipe system to match users. This app is also relatively easy for teens to use even though it is rated for users over 17.
Download a copy of the complete list of the most dangerous teen apps that parents should know about for 2019.
This article was originally published at WeZift.com.