A parent's guide to the apps your kids are using - From Snapchat to TikTok, how to keep your family secure

Social media can be a minefield. As adults, we're only too aware of its many pitfalls so it's no wonder parents are apprehensive of allowing their children to sign up.

From Snapchat to TikTok, YOLO, Instagram, Monkey and YouTube, getting clued up on the apps your kids are using not only gives you peace of mind, it helps you protect them from the negatives so they can take full advantage of the positives. 

Each of these apps come with pitfalls because, with the exception of YouTube Kids and Messenger for Kids, they're not designed with child safety in mind. This means they could expose your children to explicit content, bullying or worse. 

The first step, and this applies when your kids start using the internet generally, is to chat with them about it. Explain the dangers, as you see fit, and teach them how to navigate these dangers; what to look out for and what to do if they see something they're concerned about.  

It's equally important to teach your kids to be responsible users so explain what is and isn't acceptable. Explain that you're trusting them to be good people and use the apps appropriately. Follow your child's feeds from your own accounts, too. 

The AT&T Secure Family App can also help you to keep track of several aspects of your child's phone use. You can keep tabs on their location, block inappropriate content from being viewed. The App recently launched a new feature called Web and App Activity allowing parents to view a 7-day history of Apps and websites visited by their children. 

You can even get arrival or departure alerts, perhaps when they arrive at school and it's possible to view up to 7 days of location history. You can also limit or block access to the internet during specified times - perhaps during the night and school day. The app even enables you to pause your kid's Wi-Fi and mobile data access from your own phone.

The app is free for 30 days, after which it costs just $7.99/mo. to monitor up to 10 lines auto-billed to your AT&T account or purchase directly from the App Store or Google Play if you are an AT&T PREPAID customer or customer of another US wireless service.

We also recommend either setting up an email address and account for your child, for which you have the login details, or linking your own email with each app so you have control over password changes, approvals and so on. Try to resist checking their apps every day as your child needs to know you trust them but do spot checks and tell your child when you have. 

Finally, lock down each app's privacy settings as far as you can so that only approved contacts and friends can interact with your child. This is easier on the likes of Facebook and Instagram, but less so on TikTok and Monkey.

Below we've rounded up the most popular apps among children with tips on how to keep them safe. 

Snapchat

Snapchat began as an app for private photo sharing in which anything shared disappeared after a few seconds but it's evolved and you can now use it for sending short videos, live video chatting, messaging, and sharing a chronological "Story". 

Read more in our What is Snapchat? guide.

Instagram

Instagram, Insta or The Gram, is a photo- and video-sharing app where uploads can be shared to a feed or in a Snapchat-style Story. You control who sees these updates, from making them public to sharing with approved followers only, or even just whomever you consider to be your closest friends. There is also private messaging, known as Direct Messages, or DMs.

TikTok

TikTok, the Chinese-owned video-sharing app, has become a viral sensation almost overnight. It lets users' film, edit, and share 15-second videos with filters, music, animation, special effects, and more.

Messenger

Facebook is bound to be on your kids' apps list but instead of using its news feed to share posts, photos and videos, your children are likely using their Facebook account to access its Messenger, or Messenger for Kids apps. These apps let you chat with groups of friends or send private messages. 

YouTube

Less a social network, but still a hugely popular app among children, YouTube contains billions of videos on any subject you can think of – some appropriate for kids, many not. You can set parental controls on YouTube, or download YouTube Kids if you want a more tailored, protected experience. 

YOLO

Although Instagram and Snapchat offer Q&A features that let you pose questions to your followers, YOLO takes this a step further. All answers are sent anonymously and it describes itself as "the most fun and spontaneous way to get honest and genuine messages from your friends." 

Discord

If your kids are keen gamers, and love watching streamers on YouTube, Twitch or Mixer, they'll be using Discord. It's a voice and text chat app that lets you see who is playing online (on any platform) and chat to squad members without the need for expensive headsets.

Monkey

With Monkey, you fill in a form about who you are and what you like and Monkey connects you to like-minded people. It's designed as a "community that celebrates individuality and embraces self-discovery". You can make video calls, send DMs and set up group chats. 

A great deal

For a limited time AT&T is offering up to $700 off an eligible smartphone when you switch to AT&T and port-in your number, or up to $500 off a new line without port-in. Unlimited plan required. Eligible purchased smartphones include:

• iPhone 8 128GB and iPhone 8 256GB, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR 128GB and iPhone XR 256GB, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max (priced up to $1450). Please note iPhone 8 64GB, iPhone XS 64GB, and iPhone XR 64GB are not eligible.
• Samsung Galaxy S10e 256GB, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ (priced up to $1600). Please note Galaxy S10e 128GB is not eligible.

 

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