Is Your Kid Using These Apps? Here’s What Police Want You To Know

HUNTERSVILLE, NC — If you have a teenager, chances are they have a cell phone in their hand, or within easy reach, most waking hours of the day. With a digital appendage, however, comes risk, particularly from apps designed to keep online activities hidden from parents, say police.

According to the Pew Research Center, 95 percent of teenagers have access to a smartphone, with nearly half of them reporting that they’re online “almost constantly.” The most popular app used by teens is YouTube, followed by Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter, according to their survey.

Social media is having an effect, and it’s not always positive, Pew found. Of those teens surveyed, nearly one in four said social media has had a negative impact on them and their peers, due to issues such as bullying and lack of personal contact.

Online apps can also expose teens to potential predators who exploit the use of apps designed specifically to hide information from parents, Huntersville Police Department officer Odette Saglimbeni told Patch.

“This makes children susceptible to predators because they just don’t understand the dangers and what some peoples real motives are,” she said. “There are a lot of online predators out there and children don’t understand that. The person they meet online may portray themselves as someone else to make the child feel comfortable enough to provide personal information, and eventually try and get them to meet in person.”

Here’s a list of apps parents should be aware of, according to HPD:

“Be careful what you put out on the internet, because you can’t take it back, no matter what some of those apps say,” Saglimbeni said. “Never provide personal information, and NEVER, under any circumstances, go meet with someone you’ve met online.”

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