11Dec 2023 by nrcmmc
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…
Read More
26Jul 2023 by nrcmmc
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…
Read More
10Jan 2023 by nrcmmc
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…
Read More
12Sep 2022 by Martin Van't Foort
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.
Read More
02May 2022 by Martin Van't Foort
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…
Read More
11Sep 2021 by Martin Van't Foort
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…
Read More
02Aug 2021 by Martin Van't Foort
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…
Read More
01Mar 2021 by nrcmmc
Reeling in Reels

Reeling in Reels

Apps, Filters, Hazards
Has the app TikTok appeared on your kids’ phone? Have you heard of TikTok on the news? Did you happen to read our previous article on TikTok? (click to read) Are you aware of the controversy over the app and it’s creators? Even if you were aware of all this, the piece of information you may not have connected yet is that Instagram’s feature ‘REELS’ is a spin-off of the popular video platform. When TikTok was going through its legal battles, Instagram saw it as an opportunity to create another feature to give its users something ‘to do’ on their app, which in turn promotes Instagram’s virtual popularity.  The following article from The Verge provides more information. https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/5/21354117/instagram-reels-tiktok-vine-short-videos-stories-explore-music-effects-filters  Not all Reels are created equal, and that is the problem. Many…
Read More
03Feb 2021 by nrcmmc
Review of VSCO App

Review of VSCO App

Apps, Reviews
  In the current times, various social media apps such as TikTok and VSCO are gaining traction, particularly with teenagers. VSCO was created in 2012 but recently gained popularity when Instagram users with a lot of followers began using the #VSCO hashtag.  VSCO is a photo editing and media sharing tool. The free version gives users access to standard editing tools, such as white balance, exposure, contrast and a sampling of the available presets. Users can scroll and test out presets themselves or can tap on the “for this photo” feature, which displays a collection of suggested presets for each specific photograph. The free version also allows users to explore others’ photos and find inspiration in curated portfolios that include collections such as “humankind,” “editorial,” “summer,” and “style” to name…
Read More