The “Dirty Dozen”

The “Dirty Dozen”

Apps, Devices, Hazards
Each year since 2013, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) releases a list of 12 mainstream companies that facilitate, enable, or profit from sexual exploitation. This list is termed the “Dirty Dozen.” Some companies on the 2024 Dirty Dozen list include Apple, Meta, Spotify, and Roblox. NCOSE explains each company they place on the list. For example, they say that “Apple is rotten when it comes to child protection. This Big Tech titan refuses to scan for child sex abuse material, hosts dangerous apps with deceptive age ratings and descriptions, and won’t default safety features for teens.” NCOSE provides updates for each company throughout the year if they attempt to improve safety for their users. If you go to the NCOSE website, you can find the Dirty Dozen and…
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Snapchat’s ‘My AI’

Snapchat’s ‘My AI’

Apps, Resources, Reviews
About a year ago, ‘My AI’ made its debut on top of the conversation list inside the Snapchat app - with no way to remove it*. AI has popped up in many places since then, and we may continually be wondering, “what does this mean?” or “how much data is being collected?” or “can I turn this off?”  As with most AI uses, Snapchat is using this feature to tailor content to its users in order to make their platform more appealing to the user. The app admits that “My AI’s responses may include biased, incorrect, harmful, or misleading content” and that “you should not share confidential or sensitive information”; but it also allows the conversations that have been stored to be deleted. You can follow the steps to do…
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Saturn Time Together App

Saturn Time Together App

Apps, Guidelines, Hazards, Privacy
Saturn is a scheduling app which targets high school students as their users and markets itself as a way to “control the chaos and live in the now.” After creating an account, students select their school and can take a picture of their schedule or manually enter their schedule into the app to get a personalized calendar. The app helps students to feel connected by sharing their schedules with each other and being able to make comments on the school bulletin board. Saturn also has a feature that allows students to privately message each other. When Saturn originally launched, there were limited safety features. Recently, more safety features have been added, such as needing a verified school email address to privately message other students and access other features of the…
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Locket & LiveIn Apps

Locket & LiveIn Apps

Apps, Editorials, Reviews
Back in the day, a locket was a necklace given as a sentimental or romantic gift that one would cherish for years. It held a photo of a loved one that could be opened and remembered as often as desired.  Today, there is a new “locket”– an app downloaded to your device.  This Locket app is also a way to express sentiment. The Locket app is a photo sharing app, in which one can send photos somewhat similar to sharing a photo on Snapchat or WhatsApp. However the differences are as follows:  - The photos automatically appear on the other person’s home phone screen as a widget–you do not open an app to see the picture. It’s a bit like a private social media platform right there on your home…
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Time to BeReal

Time to BeReal

Apps, Guidelines, Reviews
“Strip[ping] away all of the unrealistic expectations social media has put on us all” says one reviewer of the popular new app ‘BeReal’ (source: BeReal App Review). Solely looking at that fact, one may think the new social media app is a breath of fresh air compared to the other ‘big 4’. It requests filterless, unedited photos from users at varying times of the day - with only 2 minutes to get it submitted. A few caveats to the positives: If the two minute time frame is not achieved, the app notes it; and users can’t see others’ content unless they post their own for the day. Also, users are encouraged to report immoral content to the company, but the company itself is not required to monitor the content. The…
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Bark App Review 

Bark App Review 

Apps, Cell Phones, Devices, Filters, Hazards
Get details about your child’s digital activities. Bark is able to monitor content 24/7, limit access to inappropriate and distracting material, set healthy boundaries with custom screen time limits and location updates.  Learn more about this filter by clicking on this link:   https://www.safewise.com/blog/bark-parental-control-app-review/ *Please note, that although we have found valuable information from an external web page for our blog post, we do not endorse all information, religious views and opinions posted on these third-party websites.
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Google Family Link

Google Family Link

Apps, Cell Phones, Devices, Guidelines, Resources
Google Family Link is an app used to regulate usage of a child’s phone. Google Family Link’s purpose is to “help your family create healthy digital habits.” Key features of Family Link: It lets you view your child’s phone activity; which apps they’re using, and how much time they’re spending on each app.Whitelist for websites.  Start by approving a website like Google for search results and phone numbers.  If your child requests to visit a website, the parent must Approve or Decline before the child can access that website.You can decide if they can download apps from the App Store, and if they’re allowed to make in-app purchases.You can set limits on the amount of Screen Time they’re allowed to have each day.  You can also set a bedtime for…
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Telegram

Telegram

Apps
Telegram is a free messaging app that was launched in 2013 by brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, who previously founded VKontakte. VKontakte is best described as the Russian version of Facebook. Currently, the company behind Telegram is based in Dubai. Telegram currently claims to have 500 million active users each month. According to SEO blog Backlinko, "25 million new users joined Telegram during a 72-hour peak in January 2021. That equates to about 8.33 million new registrations per day. And over 100 million new users started using Telegram in January alone.”  The rush to Telegram was prompted by GAFAM’s (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft) attempted censorship of popular conservative voices such as Donald Trump. Telegram functions like a classic instant messaging app. You can send messages to other users, create…
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RobinHood

RobinHood

Apps, Cell Phones
Robinhood is an app designed for the average person to invest money in stocks, funds, options, and cryptocurrency. They attract users by giving them one free stock when they join and by allowing them to trade commission-free. The app requires users to be at least 18 years old, however, kids younger than 18 could set up an account if they know certain information about their parents, such as their social security number and ID number. It is a choice to invest in the stock market, either personally or through an advisor or broker; however, by doing it personally, it can become addicting and consume a lot of family time. Buying and selling stocks is simple on Robinhood. You can buy stocks for any publicly traded company, such as Apple and…
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