Fortnite is the biggest of big deals in gaming. Kids play it, adults play it, boys play it, girls play it, and it’s making Epic Games tons and tons of money but their desire to not share that money with Google may be putting some of their millions of players at risk. Namely the players who are installing the game on their Android phones.
“With Fortnite’s influence over more than 125 million players, teaching people to download apps outside of the official store is exposing millions of people to a risky practice, researchers warned.” – CNET
Experts are warning that Fortnite’s “side loading” method of installation, which bypasses the Google Play Store, is opening up users to a ton of security risks. One such risk was found by Google’s team only two days after the game officially launched on Epic’s site. The flaw allowed hackers to exchange the game file for any file they wanted as long it was named the same thing as the installation file it replaced. This meant hackers could have put whatever malware, spyware, or virus into another file and millions of devices would have been infected. Also, since it’s release, over 1/3 of the malicious files found by Google security experts have been Fortnite themed.
The solution to this is obviously to roll out an update, herein lies the biggest issue with side loading software, it is difficult to push a forced security update out without an app store. This means that users will either have to seek out an update or allow it to install when they boot up the game. If someone has the game installed for a while without playing it, any corruption will stay in their phone until an update is found or forced by opening the app.
What Parents Should Know
If your child wants to play Fortnite, I recommend letting them do so on their computer or a console. My advice is to not allow your child to play the game on Android at all. I recommend not allowing side loading of apps at all either as this opens their device up for major security threats. If you are using Android Family Link to manage app installations then sideloading will completely undermine your methods of parent control. If you’re monitoring activity and see something called An .APK file you’ll know that side loading is happening and you should talk to your kids about what they’re installing on their device.
The news of another shooting yesterday (August 26, 2018) has once again raised the question of the violence in video games and its supposed link to mass murders by young people. The shooting took place at a Madden NFL video game tournament and left two dead andnine injured. The beginnings of the shooting were aired on livestream on Twitch.tv. The stream was cut immediately after officials realized what was going on.
Who’s to Blame?
This is the question we all want to ask immediately after something like this happens. We blame guns, we blame media, we blame parenting, we blame the government, and of course we blame violence in tv, movies, and video games. Video games are especially likely to receive the blame because of the interactivity involved in playing these games. The idea is that since we spend hours a day shooting guns at people in a virtual world, we will feel fewer inhibitions about performing that same violence in real life. With the levels of realism and intensity available in games these days, the blame is ever increasing.
Wanting to place blame in a tragedy is normal. It’s one of the stages of grief and it is entirely understandable that we would do this as individuals and corporately as a society. The problem nowadays is that we are placing blame so quickly and news media is aiding us in our decisions. This leads to more division and does nothing to solve our problems or ease the pain of the families of those involved in these acts of violence.
When video games receive the blame, it is often by those who don’t play them and especially those who don’t understand their appeal. Religious leaders, political leaders, news channel talking heads, and many celebrities will speak out against the violence in video games and other media and make headlines doing so. The problem is that they are making claims not based on any facts that can be found in any research that has been done to date.
The Data
There have been many studies on video games and their link to behavior. The problem with much of this research is the popularity of the topic itself. Early studies all had mixed results due to the controversial nature of the topic leading to researcher bias during their work. An article from earlier this year highlights the inconsistencies in research on the topic of gaming and violence. The studies of this research discredits much of the conclusion about violence in gaming causing violence in the real world while also debunking claims that playing violent video games (as a substitute) will keep you from performing violent acts in real life. The truth is that much of this research was done to prove the point that was made in their findings and further investigation found that this caused researchers to alter findings, ignore unwanted findings, and change or ignore some of their beginning hypothesis. This was not good science and shouldn’t be used to inform opinion, though many news media and anti violent video games advocates still use these studies to support their stance.
More recent studies have struggled to find links in the gaming experience and behavior. While some studies have seen an increase in aggression in kids due to gaming, there is not a correlation to that aggression turning to violence. The studies that show increased aggression tested subjects immediately after ending their gaming session and there was a significant decrease in their aggression after only a few minutes. A study done in March of this 2018 found that after two months of gaming there was no clear evidence that gamers who played violent games experienced more aggression than those who played a less violent game.
All of these studies are quick to highlight that there is still more research to be done. They maintain that kids may be more likely to experience negative effects from the violence in video games and that it is difficult to test the long term effects. While there is more learning to be done it is becoming more clear that the blame for violence in our society can’t be based solely on video games.
There Can’t Be Just One
Experts and researchers agree that there cannot be just one single cause of these egregious acts that are committed in our country lately. There are many factors that contribute to the likelihood that someone will commit a violent act, too many factors to focus too much on only one of them. There are likely those who shouldn’t play violent video games because they are more prone to act out but that doesn’t necessarily mean that gaming is the singular cause of that aggression.
The most important thing is that we stay informed and continue to learn about the best way to help each other during these times. Speak up when you see dangerous or violent behavior and if your child is showing signs of over-aggression, depression, or other mental health issues get them the help they need. We should all be in this together, supporting each other, seeking out those we can help, not those we can blame.
It is natural to look for a single cause that can be removed in order to end these horrible events. Unfortunately, it just isn’t realistic. My prayers and thoughts are with the families of those affected by this horrible action and my heart is to inform and educate you as a parent so that we can all raise kids who want to contribute positively to the world and not negatively. To answer the question posed in the title of this article, no, violent video games alone do not create killers.
It was originally called “unboxing” and it’s not new. Tech nerds have been watching online videos of other people open and try out products for more than fifteen years. YouTube coming in 2005 aided in a surge in popularity in the unboxing genre, which is now one of the most popular categories on the video streaming site. What has taken parents by surprise recently is how much their own children like to watch other kids play with toys on YouTube.
Companies are lining up to have kids play with their products on their YouTube channels and many of these channels are receiving marketing deals to add to their hundreds of thousands of dollars per month of ad revenue from YouTube itself. One such channel, “FunToys Collector Disney Toys Review” has more than ten million subscribers and is estimated to have made over $550,000 so far in 2018. Often (but not always,) these YouTube stars are often given toys to open for free. They usually have to post a notice that they received products for the video, but viewers don’t care. They just want to see what the latest toy can do outside the box.
These videos can serve a purpose, however. They allow us to see what products are like before we buy them. Many people admit to watching review videos online before deciding to make a purchase. We read Amazon reviews to help us decide which vacuum we want to get. These toy videos can help parents weed out toys their kids may think they are interested in until they see them unboxed and used. Unboxing is one thing, but what about watching other kids play with the toys, is that weird?
Our desire to see people use things we don’t have isn’t reserved only for children. We watch reality shows about the drama in the lives of the richest members of our society. There are entire channels dedicated to people buying extravagant homes and their popularity is driven by the desire to see others who have what we cannot or have not attained. We sit and watch shopping infomercials, never buying anything, but watching how the items can be used. Lets Play videos and eSports also speak to this need, allowing video game fans watch games perform at higher levels and maybe even play games that fans aren’t able to get their hands on right away. It’s a form of entertainment and it meets what some psychologists say are critical instincts that are within all of us.
Memetic Desire
At the risk of sounding like a neuroscience and psychology nerd, I’d like to explain some of the instinctual foundations of our love for unboxing and product demo videos. Memetic desire is the type of longing that comes from seeing someone else enjoy something. When you order the salad and your date orders the cheeseburger and you just have to have a bite is an example of memetic desire. The burger didn’t sound good when you were ordering but seeing your date enjoy it made it irresistible. The popularity of these videos is likely due in great part to our memetic desire. Watching someone open up the next iPhone will create in us the desire to obtain that device for ourselves. It’s normal, and it isn’t even too bad of a thing as long as it doesn’t turn to jealousy.
Memetic desire can breed discontentment. For this reason we should be careful with what attitude our kids enjoy these unboxing videos. Are they loving watching someone else play and use their imagination? That’s all well and good. If they are watching and then demanding that you allow them to go purchase that toy, there is the problem. There haven’t been any studies to ascertain any danger to allowing your kids to watch unboxing and product review videos. If there is any risk, it’s likely based on the personality and behavior of your child.
The best advice that experts give is for you to monitor and limit screen time. Whether they are watching someone play a video game, playing a game themselves, watching toy demos, or even watching a PBS show about math, too much screen time rewires the brain in an unhealthy way and should be avoided. If your kids are watching these video too much, the reason is simple. You are allowing them to do so. You can be the parent, use your knowledge of what these videos are all about and the amount of screen time that is healthy (usually an hour or less per day) to set boundaries for your kids. Use tools like unGlue or Accountable2You to keep track of the time spent on their devices. Take responsibility for your children’s online activity and you’ll create a safer and healthier environment for them to grow in.
One of the easiest ways to protect your kids online is to monitor their internet activity. Accountability software is the most effective way to do that. Accountability software does not block anything, it will report when something inappropriate has been viewed so you can talk to your child or significant other about what they spend their time doing online.
Our favorite Accountability Software is Accountable2You. I love it for a lot of reasons, probably the biggest reason is their support base. I have had a great experience when I have had to contact their support team to help me figure out setting up new devices. Some of the best features of Accountable2You are their GPS tracking (included,) their iOS VPN settings, and their time management tracking.
The video above will walk you through how to sign up and use Accountable2You. We are an affiliate of this software and you’ll get 30 days free if you use our promo code: BECAUSEFAMILY.
A parent controlled messenger was the dream of the FB Messenger Kids team when they created their app. They could be finding it a bit tricky to balance the security parents want with the ease of use kids need. Now a code will be available to help your kids identify themselves in the Messenger Kids app. This is a code they can use to send a friend request to other users. Parents will still receive permission requests but it will save the trouble of having to search for the potential contact’s parent’s FB account and send a request.
Obviously, this method will only work for friends who already use FB Messenger Kids. The code is also an “opt-in” feature, meaning parents will have to turn it on in their own Facebook app for their kids to receive the four-word identifier. The video above features a quick walkthrough of how to turn it on. You can also set up bedtimes in the Messenger Kids controls on your Facebook app’s settings page.
What Parents Should Know
The addition of bedtime settings is a great option for parents whose kids use FB Messenger. The jury is still out on the identifier code, though. It is intended to make adding friends easier but it remains to be seen if that will be the case. Asking your kids to remember their code so they can tell their friends is a bit reminiscent of phone numbers from our own childhoods. If they don’t know their friend’s code, they’ll still receive an option to ask parents to connect them, simply by name.
I always recommend limiting screen time for your kids, especially time on social media. The FB Messenger app is still one of the best, most secure options for your kids to keep in touch with friends and family. The stickers, challenges, video chat, and built-in AR games make it a lot of fun albeit easy to throw a lot of time into. This is why the bedtime and screen time limits are so important.
We all love playing “Don’t Smile.” You know, it’s that game where you have to look at your friend until one of you gives in and cracks a grin. First to smile loses. That’s one of the new games offered for you and up to seven of your friends on Facebook Messenger. Except in the AR game, your face becomes a cartoon-like grin to emphasize your good sense of humor and lack of self-control.
Facebook is really pushing the video chatting option in their messenger app which is the number two most popular of its kind after (also owned by Facebook.) Using the camera to add graphics to your face for a game is only the beginning as they are working towards AR shopping and have already featured some augmented reality advertising.
Browsing the Internet on Facebook
New research from Mixpanel features Facebook as a major mobile browser competitor in the United States. While Safari (iPhone’s stock browser) and Chrome (Google’s browser offering) remain solid at the one and two spots respectively the browser inside of the Facebook app is interestingly above Firefox, Opera, or any other browser for that matter.
A browser is an app you use to surf the internet. One of the main reasons that Facebook’s built-in browser is gaining so many users is the fact that so many of us get our news, media, and entertainment through the social media service nowadays. When you see an article you are interested in and click on it Facebook will take you to that article without leaving the app. That’s their built-in browser.
While Facebook has faced scrutiny for their data handling, fake news, and other privacy issues, it is obvious that they still hold a major share of the market where social media is concerned. People are still using Facebook’s app to connect, be informed, and be entertained.
What Parents Should Know
Screen time management becomes harder and harder as new features are added to our kids’ favorite apps. The developers of these apps want their users to connect through their app and be as social as possible. They want their app to be the new “hangout” location for those who use their service. Parents still need to be on top of how much time our kids are spending on social media. The dangers of cyberbullying, sexting, contact with predators, and access to inappropriate content increase as our kids spend more time online. Manage their screen time and teach your older kids to have healthy screen time habits. Studies have shown that actual, physical interaction with friends is much healthier than video chat. Encourage and provide safe opportunities for this type of interaction.
It is also important for parents to know that their kids can access the internet within their favorite social media apps. Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat all have their own browsers and the data mentioned above highlights the popularity of the ease of use those browsers offer. What they don’t offer are content filters. If your kids can access Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat they can access all of the internet and to my knowledge, there is no way to filter out adult content within those in-app browsers. Most parental control apps don’t control content within the browsers of social media either. This should be enough for you to only allow your kids to use these apps if they are older, haven’t had problems with accessing adult content in the past, and are mature enough to make healthy browsing choices.
Another Update: August 24 2018 : Google found a security flaw in Epic’s download file for Fortnite.
UPDATE August 10, 2018: The Google Play Store has added a notice to Fortnite search results that reads: “Fortnite Battle Royale by Epic Games is not available on Google Play.” This addition is an attempt to discourage the download of copycat games that could contain malware, spyware, or other malicious add-on software.
It’s Not About the Game
Fortnite is one of the biggest things ever in video games. You can read all about the game and my thoughts on the game here. Thus far, you have been able to play the free Battle Royale game on consoles, computer, and iPhones or iPads. That is changing soon as Epic Games is releasing theirsmash hit to Android. The problem isn’t that the game is being released, it is how it’s going to be distributed and downloaded. Epic has announced that they are going to bypass the Google Play Store and let you download the game directly from their site onto your Android phone.
While this doesn’t sound like a big deal, you have to trust me, it is. It is a big deal because of security. Android’s (and Apple’s) app store are places to find apps for your phone that have been vetted for security and privacy before being listed for download. When you “sideload” an app, you are bypassing all of these security or privacy features and putting your data at risk.
Sideloading is installing an app onto your Android phone from somewhere other than the Google Play Store.
Making the game available in through this method will remove the 30% profit share that Google takes from apps downloaded from their app store and gives Epic Games complete control of their software (updates, in-game store, etc.) This is probably a good move for Epic Games’ bottom line but can prove to be a nightmare for some Android users.
There are more security prompts and features for those who use the latest version of Android’s operating system but estimates say that over 85% of Android users haven’t received the update yet. Especially our kids since most of them are using devices we’ve handed down to them. This means that it is way too easy to end up downloading a fake version of Fortnite and installing spyware or malware along with it. If you’re a grown adult, you can make decisions based on the security and privacy of your smartphone experience but kids should be taught to only ever download games and apps from their devices App Store.
Screwing Up Your Parental Control Settings
Android FamilyLink and most third-party parental control apps help you control app downloads using the Google Play Store. If the app they want can be downloaded outside of the app store then you can’t monitor their activity or download permission. If you’re monitoring their activity you’ll want to look for “APK” files. Those are the packages that sideloaded apps come in. If you’re looking at the activity on your kid’s phone and you see thisisafile.APK, you’ll know they are installing apps outside the app store.
Epic Games’ decision to bypass the Play Store, while maybe a shrewd business move, is definitely going to cause problems for parents who are trying to keep an eye on what their kids are doing on their devices. My advice is that you don’t allow your kids to sideload apps at all. Whether it be Fortnite or anything else, letting your children bypass their device’s built-in security and privacy protections is simply a bad idea.
What Parents Should Know
The security and privacy settings that are built into your smartphones and tablets are there for a reason. It’s very important that you update your devices as soon as there is a new version available. That said, it does you no good to keep your phone updated if you are installing random software from all over the internet. In essence, that’s what sideloading apps is. You’re downloading files that could really come from anywhere and installing them into your device. This can lead to apps tracking your location, listening to your microphone, and even turning on and recording with your camera. The last thing you want is for your son or daughter to install some game and end up with images or video of themselves posted all over the internet by some hacker.
Yes, that example is extreme but it has happened before and there are apps out there that contain such harmful code. Even if the problem isn’t that bad, at the very least you’re opening your phone up for viruses that can shut it down permanently. I understand Epic Games trying to make more money by allowing downloads from their website but in this day and age where our data is being collected left and right, wouldn’t you prefer to go through the company that created your device’s software instead of just installing from wherever, willy nilly?
Fortnite isn’t that bad of a game, it’s rated T for teen because of the cartoon like violence and online experience. It has potential to be addictive for some kids and should be monitored for that reason. Again, I’m not saying every parent should avoid letting their kids play it, I’m saying you shouldn’t let them install it on Android from anywhere except the Google Play store.
Today marks a major transition for one of the most popular apps for young teens and tweens. Musical.ly, the lip syncing video app, has been merged with Tik Tok. Tik Tok is another video sharing app that is run by Chinese company, ByteDance. The company acquired Musical.ly in 2017 and has now turned the two apps into one.
The ultimate goal of this transition is to combine users. Musical.ly has had 100 million users while Tik Tok boasts upwards of 500 million. Putting them together is a move to become a worldwide social video super app.
What Parents Should Know
First of all, you need to know what the Tik Tok app is when you see it on your kids’ phones. It is Musical.ly. Musical.ly has been on our uninstall list for a while now because of the social sharing aspect. Now, with 500 million more users, the number of connections your kids can make in the app has increased.
I advise you to be aware of what apps are installed when your kids phone. Again, we recommend you uninstall TickTock if you see it. Many parents are involved in their child’s usage of the app and that is up to you but I never recommend allowing kids or young teens to use such a social software without supervision.
I have had an extension installed in Google Chrome for a while that limits the amount of time I spend scrolling on Facebook. I can scroll and scroll until eventually hitting a limit that I set for myself. My only frustration is that it didn’t work in the app. Well, now I can breath easier since Facebook is releasing a new system for monitoring and controlling the amount of time you spend in their apps. The folks at Facebook say they want your time in their apps to be interesting and inspiring, not mind-numbing so they’ve introduced some new options and a dashboard.
The new dashboard will show you how much time you’ve been spending in the app. You’ll also be able to set reminders and schedule a time to turn off notifications. The reports and settings will be found by tapping on the menu on the lower right of the Facebook app and by opening the settings in your Instagram app. You’re looking for the item called “Your Time on Facebook” in the FB app and on Instagram, you’ll open “Your Activity.”
Facebook is hoping that this will encourage the more thoughtful use of their apps and alleviate the addictive nature of the infinite scrolling social media timeline. Since the “Time Well Spent” movement began, companies have been taking more responsibility to find ways to help people be more intentional with their social media use. The past ten or so years have proven that social media isn’t going away and that folks will use it even to their own detriment.
NOTE: I, personally, haven’t received the update with these features yet as it is rolling out in batches over the next month or so. As soon as I do, though, you’ll see a tutorial on how to check your time spent and manage your settings on both Instagram and Facebook.
What Parents Should Know
This is a good opportunity to discuss the need for online time management with your kids. Since these companies are beginning to take it so seriously, we can use the news to encourage members of our families to do the same. Tell your kids about the features and ask them to use it, even if just to check in on the amount of time they’ve spent. It is amazing what changes you might make when you realize how much of your day is spent mindlessly scrolling a social media feed. If your kids are younger, I advise you to use these and any other resource you can to help them be thoughtful with their time online. Discuss time management with them and help them make healthy decisions so they’ll grow up with good habits.
Over the next several months, Facebook will be paying closer attention to profiles that seem to belong to underage users. Some recent attention from politicians and documentaries have highlighted the ineffectiveness of the company’s honor and reporting based age verification system, stating that kids of any age can create a profile and begin using Instagram or Facebook against the company’s age policy and the government’s regulations. COPPA states that kids’ data can’t be collected without the permission of their parents, this is why social media services have age restrictions in effect. The problem has been enforcement. Companies like Facebook and Snapchat have wanted to allow users to create a profile without too much invasion of their privacy or freedom of speech but this leads to an easy way for underage users to cheat the system.
Facebook now says they are going to be having their content reviewers actively seek out profiles that seem to be run by younger Facebook or Instagram users and require them to present a legal form of identification in order to prove their age. Previously, this was only done if an account had been reported by another user, this meant that the first line of defense against underage usage was simply the other people using the service. Obviously, this hasn’t been effective enough. Even though Facebook’s user age has increased over the past several years, Instagram is still very popular with the younger audience. Whether parents are allowing their kids to use Instagram or whether they are signing up without their parent’s knowledge, Facebook is going to be going to new lengths to remove those underage accounts.
Most social media is not intended for users under the age of 13. This is for legal reasons as well as for safety reasons. I usually recommend waiting until your child is 16 or older before opening them up to the social media world. User-generated content, the potential for meeting strangers, and highly politicised and polarizing material can be hard for younger kids to navigate and digest. It’s good for kids to be exposed to the realities and dangers of the online world while under some sort of supervision but Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and most other Social Media outlets don’t offer very helpful options for that supervision.
I think it’s good that Facebook is cracking down on these underage accounts, even if it is to protect themselves from further scrutiny. In my opinion, we will all benefit from more people looking out for the proper, healthy, and safe usage of the most popular social media services of our time. The first line of defense should always be mom and dad but hopefully, these companies are waking up to see that they have to be of some assistance to families as well.
