6 minute read
Is that app safe?
The dangers of allowing your kids to play with Apps: what every parent should know
Keeping your children safe online is a key priority for every parent across the country.
With children growing up in front of tablets and screens, the dangers of allowing your kids to play with Apps has never been greater.
Just because you downloaded the Apps from the App Store or Google Play doesn’t mean they are safe. These platforms publish thousands of new Apps every day and they put developers through hoops as part of the approval process, but they don’t control who uses the Apps or the inherent risks to kids. Ultimately this comes down to the user and in the case of kids, parents and guardians.
Every parent needs to know the following dangers of allowing kids to play with Apps and strategies to minimise the risk.
The dangers of Apps
The dangers associated with allowing your children to play with Apps are unparalleled in today’s society. Some of the key dangers of Apps include:
Minimum age requirement. While Google Play and the App Store do require every App to set a minimum age requirement, there is no real way to validate the age of someone downloading an App. Due to this your children can easily accidentally, or intentionally, find themselves on platforms that are inappropriate for their age.
• Privacy settings. By default most Apps set all accounts on their platforms to public.
This means your child can be contacted by anyone on the platform, and children can unintentionally share sensitive information such as your address or the name of the school they attend. • Inappropriate content. Video streaming
Apps often do not monitor or restrict the content shared on their platform. As a result, inappropriate content, such as nudity and swearing, can be sliced between all-ages and children’s content.
Paedophilia and grooming. On private message or live-streaming platforms, your vulnerable children can be specifically targeted by, or randomly paired with, an adult with poor intentions. Multiple Apps have been connected to tragic and disgusting misuse of certain platforms by paedophiles. • Cyber bulling. Apps can be the cruel dwelling for devastating online bullying. Some Apps even contain anonymous platforms for cruel comments to posted without any ‘face-toface’ consequences.
Addiction. Apps are designed specifically to encourage users to spend significant periods of time on their platforms. Without realising, many children can find themselves addicted to Apps with out-of-control sedentary screen time deteriorating their mental and physical health.
In-App Purchases. Too many parents have found themselves forking out hundreds to thousands of dollars after their children have used their credit cards to make In-App purchases. In many cases, children do not know they are spending real money within game-style Apps.
By Anushka Bandara, co founder and chief executive officer of Elegant Media, a full service mobile App development and software solutions provider for businesses, government and entrepreneurs. www.elegantmedia.com.au Set up age limits on your child’s device. Due to the App Store and Google Play’s age restriction protocol being incredibly weak, take control through device settings. Whether your child has a phone, tablet or other electronic device, most should have age limits in their settings. Restricting your child’s access to Apps beyond the age rating is an easy first step. Set up some general rules with your children. As opposed to hovering over your child’s device or downloading every App they use, sit down together and develop a list of general rules to keep them safe when playing with Apps. Create trust. It is important that you tell your children to let you know if someone is hurting them or making them feel uncomfortable on an App. By creating a calm two-way stream of conversation, children will feel safe and be more likely to come to you if anything goes wrong. Check before downloading anything. An easy rule to introduce with your children is that they must ask for permission before downloading any App (even free ones!). Also, advise your children not to share their password with anyone outside of your home. Educating your children. Educating is far more effective than reacting. Educating your children is a long term preventative strategy to protect them if they’re being victimised on an App. Knowing there will always be more bad Apps for children is the first step – so don’t waste time waiting for the next to pop up. Get on an App. It is very difficult to monitor your child’s behaviour on Apps if you do not know how they work. Participating in a range of social networking, gaming and private messaging platforms will give you a glimpse for how inappropriate people or behaviours could arise, and what to look out for. Check out these great resources to continue learning https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
https://austparents.edu.au/information-andadvice/digital-parenting/
SUPPORTING WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
Liptember is a campaign dedicated to raising funds and awareness for women's mental health, harnessing the true potential of the collective - encouraging and inspiring people to listen, share, and learn. Funds raised during the month are donated to the Centre for Women’s Mental Health, Lifeline, Batyr, The Jean Hailes Foundation and The Pretty Foundation. For more information or to donate head to https://www.liptember.com.au/
SUPPORTING WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
#PopYourLips products can be found at www.stylemeover.com
Liptember is a campaign dedicated to raising funds and awareness for women's mental health, harnessing the true potential of the collective - encouraging and inspiring people to listen, share, and learn. Funds raised during the month are donated to the Centre for Women’s Mental Health, Lifeline, Batyr, The Jean Hailes Foundation and The Pretty Foundation. For more information or to donate During these times of uncertainty, one of the only things we are sure of right now is that we are all in this together; and it’s more important than ever for women to feel comfortable leaning on their communities for support.
2020 Liptember Ambassador Melina Bagnato is reminding her community to #PopYourLips! Popping on a bright lipstick does wonders to help lift your mood, and it is a small act of kindness to yourself that can carry you through when the days get a bit monotonous.
However, wearing a bright lipstick is more than just a fashion statement, the #PopYourLips campaign is designed to highlight the need for open and honest dialogue around women's mental health issues; and spark actions that create change, support and awareness within the female community.
If you follow Melina and her business Style Me Over on social media you will know that she is a fierce advocate for women- her entire business principle is about women feeling beautiful, empowered and confident, and she helps them to achieve this through her fashion and styling services.
Additionally, Melina has created a signature #PopYourLips t-shirt and face mask range in an effort to go one step further. When you wear a #PopYourLips tee or mask, you are showing up for the cause and are standing in solidarity with women affected by mental health issues - $5 from every t-shirt and $2 from every mask sold goes directly to supporting Liptember and their incredible mental health research, programs and services. So not only will you look and feel fab, you are also helping another woman to feel the same… Together we can unite and bring a pop of colour to the lives of many!
