Family Tech Blog

Tag: safety

  • The Monkey App will be a Hotbed for Predators

    The Monkey App will be a Hotbed for Predators

    You can often tell a lot about an app or product by their logo. (See Instagram or YouTube) They often use the small icon to entice you into using their app based on the style or the creative way the image can explain what the app is used for. Sometimes, though, you can be lured into a false sense of security by the playfulness of an app’s logo or icon. Monkey is a perfect example of this. When I saw Monkey listed as number 51 on the app store’s top downloads I was expecting to see some kid’s social media platform that would allow you to chat privately or play games or something. That’s not at all what I found.

    In reality Monkey is a chat roulette type of video chatting app. Once you’ve downloaded the app it will ask you your age. You set your age to whatever you’d like it to be, provide your phone number and your snapchat username and you’re in. It immediately begins connecting you with someone to video chat with. While it’s connecting it shows your face dimly in the background and says who it’s connecting you to. You have the option to skip the connection or accept. If you accept you’ll be shown their video feed and they’ll see yours. In the short time I tested the app I was connected with all males ranging from ages 22-45.

    Once you have connected with someone a countdown clock begins. You can tap the clock to add time and keep talking but if they don’t tap their clock you’ll be disconnected. This is another “swipe right” concept that gives each user the option to continue the connection with a simple gesture on their smartphone. To be honest I never accepted a connection. I still just don’t get a good feeling about the gamble of finding random video chatting partners. I don’t know what I”ll see when I connect. You also don’t know what your kids might see.

     

     

    What Parents Should Know

    The dangers of a roulette style video chat app should be pretty obvious. The potential for unwanted material and contact with dangerous people is real. While there is a report button to flag any inappropriate content, that method takes the “after the damage is done” approach to keeping their app free from pornography and bullying. The app is rated for users aged twelve and over and the terms and agreements explain how the company takes no responsibility for the content that may be displayed on the app.

    YOU FURTHER UNDERSTAND AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, WHILE THE SERVICES ARE NOT PROVIDED FOR PORNOGRAPHIC PURPOSES OR FOR MAKING SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONTENT AVAILABLE, YOU MAY BE EXPOSED TO CONTENT THAT YOU DEEM TO BE OFFENSIVE, INDECENT, OBJECTIONABLE, OR SEXUALLY EXPLICIT, AND YOU AGREE TO WAIVE, AND HEREBY DO WAIVE, ANY LEGAL OR EQUITABLE RIGHTS OR REMEDIES YOU HAVE OR MAY HAVE AGAINST MONKEYSQUAD WITH RESPECT THERETO. – Monkey Terms of Use (All caps theirs.)

    This app was developed by two sixteen year old kids from Australia. They said that they designed the app to allow teens to build more random online relationships. Ben Pasternak and Isaiah Turner told Mashable “…Snapchat is for your real life friends and Monkey is for your internet friends.” These teenagers saw a line between their real world relationships and the ones they could make with people all over the world through the internet. This is exactly what parents need to consider. While living in a more globalized world has many positives there are also very real risks to exposing our young teens and kids to the entire globe. 

    My advice is to put this app on your uninstall list. Never trust an app based on their branding or icon. Have a real conversation with your teen about the potential of seeing body parts or other unsightly things on this app. Remind them of the problem of connecting with random people online. There are always people who will lie about their age or their gender in order to connect with someone they’d like to prey on. Even if they know they’re only going to be connected for a few seconds. Sometimes a few seconds is enough to cause major problems for our young kids. Don’t let the cute monkey emoji logo fool you. Uninstall on sight!

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  • Meet Sprinkles, Microsoft’s New Fun Camera App

    Meet Sprinkles, Microsoft’s New Fun Camera App

    Here’s what you need. You need a new camera app that will allow you to put text, stickers, and emojis on top of your photos. That’s what we all need, right? What? You already have six apps on your phone that do that? Well, nobody told Microsoft because they’ve just released their own. Ignoring the fact that they released it on April 1st (it’s still there so no, not entirely a joke) we should spend some time looking at what this app does and who the target audience is. 

    First of all it’s just a camera. This is not a photo sharing app with a built in social experience. When you take and edit your photo you can share it on any of the social media sites you have connected on your phone but there no native sharing system. The app uses a basic AI (artificial intelligence) to recommend what you could put on your picture. The choices are mostly text overlays and are based on what you took a photo of. You don’t have to post what it recommends, you can add your own text, stickers, or emojis by swiping the screen and hitting a few buttons.

    What Parents Should Know

    This app is geared toward young users. The quotes or sayings are silly and there is a high volume of illustrated overlays and emojis to chose from. This app could be a good option for kids who want to take photos and put silly stuff over the top but shouldn’t share online. Just be sure to look at the settings by clicking the gear in the top left of the camera screen. The settings will give you the option to activate or deactivate more mature overlays. (Mostly language.) You can also set the permissions it has, such as location and notifications. You can enter your name and birthdate to allow the app to recommend certain overlays on your special day or with your name on them. Remember that photos taken on this app are scanned so that overlays can be recommended. Encourage your children that even if they aren’t posting online, they don’t want to take a photo of something they don’t want anyone else to see. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with this app if you’re going to let your younger kids use it. Take it seriously, even though it was released on April Fool’s Day.

  • Apple’s App Store Changes May Cost You a few Bucks

    Apple’s App Store Changes May Cost You a few Bucks

    One of my favorite things to do on my phone is search the App Store. I enjoy seeing what new releases are out, what apps might be discounted, and what apps I should add to my wish list. I often download an app to try it out just because I can easily see that it’s free. Apple’s new rules will block App developers from putting price information in the titles of their app. 

     

    This change means that apps that produce a free version won’t be able to use the title to illicit more installs. The game of making money through mobile app development has taken many turns over the past several years. You may have noticed that most of the top grossing apps are considered “Freemium” which means downloads are free but they sell content to you within the app. Having FREE in the title has long been a useful strategy for this type of software. Eliminating the price in the title could decrease the number of downloads for these apps and in turn, they’re revenue.

    Please remove any references to your app’s price from your app’s name, including any references to your app being free or discounted. If you would like to advertise changes to your app’s price, it would be appropriate to include this information in the app description. – App Store Submission Rejection Notice 

    These changes will immediately affect new apps being submitted to the App Store. There is no word if changes will be required for apps that are already listed in the store.

    What Parents Should Know

    We have all started to get used to the freemium model of app development and how to educate our kids about it. This update could change a few things. First of all it may not be as easy for younger kids to know if the app they’re looking at is free or costs something. Of course the price is listed right next to the app but this wouldn’t be the first time a kid accidentally spent some of their parent’s money.

    Secondly, if developers aren’t gaining more installs they may be required to raise prices on their in app purchases. This would mean that apps you may pay a little bit for would cost you extra. Alternatively, you could end up with fewer freemium apps and more that just charge you upfront for initial access.

    Whatever the result of these changes by the Apple App Store, the most important thing is, as always, that your children understand what has happened and know how to navigate the store properly. Teach them that money spent in these apps is often real money and usually your money. Set up your parental controls so that they have to ask permission to install anything. This will help you keep your money safe as well as your children.

  • Smartphone Separation Anxiety is Actually a Thing!

    Smartphone Separation Anxiety is Actually a Thing!

    Our world is advancing rapidly towards another new technology age. With computers in our pockets all day long it was only a matter of time until we became so dependant on them that the thought of losing them is one of our greatest fears. Researchers are finding that that time has come. Results released last week from a study done by Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary shows evidence that young people suffer significant stress if they are separated from their smartphones. 

    The study was small, only testing 87 volunteers, and asked subjects to take simple math tests in a mostly empty room. Some of those who participated kept their phones, others were asked to turn theirs off, another group locked up their phones and were given someone else’s phone instead, and the final group put their smartphone in a locked cabinet and couldn’t have access to it during the entire study. The findings were pretty much what any of us would expect.

    Those who kept their phones (whether on or off) had no noticeable signs of stress about the test they were taking and the group that had someone elses phone showed a very low stress level as well. The other group (the people with their phones locked in a cabinet) showed significant heart rate fluctuations, an indicator of high stress and similar to symptoms shown by people suffering from PTSD, and tended to drift towards the cabinet their phones were locked in. The volunteers in this group were also very fidgety, scratching their faces and pacing. The researchers took these results as an indicator that there may be a very real link to smartphone separation and anxiety. 

    What Parents Should Know

    This test was a very small sample study and will likely be followed up with some more extensive research. Small as it may be, though, I think we have all either seen or experienced firsthand the symptoms of smartphone separation anxiety. I, personally, make a conscious effort to spend extensive amounts of time without my phone, just to keep from getting so attached. I still find myself reaching for it when it isn’t there. It may seem obvious but I think these tests are a good idea because we should know more about how our habits affect us. 

    As parents it is important that we understand that addiction to technology is very real. While research is only now beginning to explain what’s happening when we get hooked on our electronics, the findings are disheartening. Our brains can actually be trained to ignore stimuli that isn’t on a screen and prefer the phone, tablet, or television over a book, a real sunset, or even someone’s face. We should be aware of how much time our children are spending using their technology and work hard to teach them healthy habits. We have to set the example first, and then set boundaries that will help them understand limits, why we have them, and what happens if we ignore them.

    Use consequences that truly fit the crime for overuse of technology. If they feel a small example of that separation anxiety from being grounded from their phone for a week, you have an opportunity to help them see that their feelings of stress should be avoided and can be avoided with a more healthy attitude towards their digital lifestyle.

  • Protect Your Whole Family for A Buck a Month with Net Nanny

    Protect Your Whole Family for A Buck a Month with Net Nanny

    I recommend two major tools for protecting your children online. Accountability software and an internet filter. You know about our connection with Accountable2You but now I’m excited to have partnered with one of the best internet filter options out there, Net Nanny. The best part is that for the next couple weeks, they’re offering their best deal at an even bigger discount, %35 off.

    What is Net Nanny?

    Net Nanny is an internet filter and time management software. With customizable filters, remote management, and filter reports it’s one of the best options on the market.

     

    You create your admin account and can set up everything from there. With different users you’re able to customize your filters depending on who you’re protecting. Social media monitoring will report cyberbullying, sexting, privacy concerns, and any unexpected contacts by potential predators.

    Internet filters are critical for protecting your children and teens from unwanted content online. There are, however, ways to get around many filters. Some of the most common ways are image searches, i.p. address lookups, and proxies. These things are all problems for some filters because of the way that filter works. Many filters use the name, address, or metadata (informational tags built into web pages) to know if the content on the site is inappropriate. If the site is one that is trying to engage young users, they can often hide their content with unrelated metadata. They can also put their sites behind something called a proxy. The proxy will disguise the address and i.p. of the site so a filter doesn’t know what kind of content is on it.

    Net Nanny can’t be fooled so easily. Their system’s specialty is the ability to read the content on the page in real time to determine whether or not the site contains adult images or language. This allows them to block web pages no matter how you get to them. If you have younger kids it may not seem as big of a deal to have such a foolproof system. Unfortunately it’s getting harder and harder to protect them from content that may try to get through. If, however, you have caught your teen or child looking at something inappropriate you will definitely want to equip your computers and devices with the best filter software available. I think Net Nanny is one of the best.

    If you click the link you can sign up for their “Family Protection Pass.” A year of access to Net Nanny for just $60. That’s 12 bucks a month to cover up to five devices. $.99 per month per device. If you have more to cover you can get their next level to protect 10 devices for $89.99. There is also an option for coverages for 15 computers, smartphones and tablets for $119.99. Whichever option you choose, the link below will include us as affiliates and contribute a portion of your payment to BecauseFamily. This will help us continue to do free workshops and educate parents on how to protect their families online.