Wednesday, October 12th has come to be known as National Stop Bullying Day. A little brief history for you.

National Stop Bullying Day: How Can You Do Your Part?

Here are 4 ways you can use FamilyKeeper to keep your kids safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Child safety during Coronavirus (COVID-19)

How to keep our kids safe online while giving them the space they need to grow.

Let Your Kids Spread Their Wings, Safely!

How to balance your kids’ need for technology with your need to protect them.

Worried about cyberthreats? Get your kids a digital helmet!

The current dangers of overexposure to YouTube.

The Dangers of YouTube

Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that happens over digital devices like smartphones, computers and tablets.

Cyberbullying - What You Need To Know

The three main indicators of Screen Addiction that you should watch out for

The Dangers of Screen Addiction

When discussing cyberbullying with your children, it’s hugely important to keep the lines of communication open. The more confident youngsters feel in discussing their online activity, the more autonomy it will give them in terms of pushing back against cyberbullies.

How to Help Your Kids Prevent Cyberbullying

With in-app purchases, it is all too easy to rack up the credit card bill by paying for added extras – whether it’s accidentally or on purpose.

Kids vs. In-App Purchases: 6 Tips to Prevent a Surprise Hefty Bill!

Here are a few tips to help you with gifting digital devices this Christmas.

New Phone for Christmas? Here’s How to Keep Your Kids Safe Online

The aim of Safer Internet Day is to make the internet a safer place, for kids in particular, by raising awareness of emerging online issues and current concerns – from cyberbullying to social networking to digital identity.

Safer Internet Day: What Can We Do to Effect Change?

These five tips aim to help parents manage the unwitting dangers of screen time in a practical and purposeful way.

5 Simple Tips to Manage Kids’ Screen Time

We’ve put together 5 Pillars of Cyberbullying Prevention for parents to easily implement in the fight against cyberbullying.

5 Tips for Parents to Help Stop Cyberbullying

International Stand Up to Bullying Day is a semi-annual event to raise public awareness around bullying in all its forms.

Don't Be a Bystander: It's International Stand Up to Bullying Day!

We’ve delved into the heart of social media use to find the 5 most prominent dangers that we need to be aware of.

The Dark Side of Social Media: 5 Dangers to Be Wary Of

This International Children’s Book Day, whether your child is holding a tablet or a physical book, it’s time to explore the world of children’s literature.

International Children’s Book Day: Switch Off Screens and Curl Up with a Good Book!

Our job is to keep you and your family cyber safe – so this year, enjoy our top tips for a stress-free Easter!

3 Tips to Keep Your Loved Ones Cyber Safe this Easter!

Over 40% of teenagers have reported experiencing loneliness as a result of social media – an astonishing figure considering that ‘social’ implies togetherness.

40% of Teenagers Experience Loneliness. Help Protect Them With These 3 Steps

Social media platforms, chatrooms, WhatsApp and text messaging, online gaming – the advent of web-based connections is affecting our ability to form face-to-face relationships with people.

Too Much Screen Time? Risks, Dangers, and What We Can Do to Help

As adults, we may have trained ourselves to function on less sleep – but try reasoning with an overtired toddler or a moody teenager and you may well be on a mission to lessen screen time, and create a more serene bedtime experience for your family!

Put Those Screens Away! 4 Ways To Make Bedtime Easier

National Missing Children’s Day serves as a reminder that we should continue our efforts to reunite missing children with their families.

Keeping Our Children Safe – The No. 1 Priority Of All Parents

We’ve rounded up 5 top apps that provide educational value this summer – so that you can get stuff done, your children can be happily occupied, and they learn a little something too!

Can Screen Time be Beneficial? 5 Apps with Educational Value

How do you set the boundaries when your child receives a phone? And how do you keep your kids safe from online harm? Never fear - we've got you covered!

Back to School, Back to Routine. Why Do I Need A Parental Control App?

Which are the latest dangerous crazes that have emerged from social media?

Online Threats To Be Aware Of: 3 Dangerous TikTok Challenges

Wednesday, October 12th has come to be known as National Stop Bullying Day.

FamilyKeeper has rounded up the top apps to help you and your kids enhance Thanksgiving.

Top Apps To Enhance This Year’s Thanksgiving With Your Kids

Cyberbullying can affect a victim’s self-esteem, self-confidence, social behavior, school work, self-worth, and self-awareness, and lead to extremities such as self-harm and in the worst cases, even suicide.

Cyberbullying on Social Media: When Does It Become Violent?

There are more new apps than ever exploding onto the scene. We’ve rounded up the top 3 new apps that parents ought to know about.

Three Popular Apps in 2023 That Parents Should Know About

There are some inherent risks that parents and guardians should be aware of when it comes to their kids and Discord's safety.

Is Discord Safe For Kids? Everything You Need To Know

There are so many popular apps for kids in 2023, but there are several genres of mobile apps that parents should be concerned about. So which popular apps should you consider blocking?

Dangerous Apps To Block: How To Block Apps And Why

The content of YouTube Shorts varies widely, and while some YouTube Shorts may be appropriate for kids, others may not be.

Are YouTube Shorts Safe For Kids? How to Block YouTube Shorts

Why should parents use a web content filtering solution? And how is it used to block harmful websites?

How Do I Safeguard My Child Online? Web Content Filtering in Parental Control Apps

In this blog, we will explore what screen addiction is, why it is detrimental to young minds, and how parental control apps can help prevent and manage this issue.

Prevent Screen Addiction & Tips for Screen Addiction Treatment

Instagram Threads is relatively new - but is it safe to use? Everything parents need to know

Is Instagram Threads Safe for Kids? The Risks You Should Know

Sharing 'Back to School' photos of your children online can be a heartwarming way to celebrate their milestones, but it's essential to be aware of security risks, especially with regard to identity theft and online protection. 

Back To School! Is Sharing Photos Online A Risky Thing To Do?

Mukbang has gained immense popularity across various social media platforms, particularly on video-sharing sites like YouTube, Twitch, and platforms that support live streaming. But what does 'mukbang' and ASMR mean?

What Is Mukbang and ASMR? Effects Of This Social Media Trend

Every October, the spotlight shines on National Bullying Prevention Month, a vital initiative dedicated to raising awareness about bullying and its various forms.

National Bullying Prevention Month: Combat Cyberbullying with FamilyKeeper

Selecting the right phone for your child involves thoughtful consideration of factors such as age, features, and parental controls. In this guide, we'll explore how to choose your child's first phone, the potential dangers mobile phones pose for kids, and the role of parental control apps, like FamilyKeeper, in ensuring their safety.

Child's First Phone for Christmas? How To Navigate the Gift of Independence

While TikTok provides a space for creativity and self-expression, it has also witnessed the emergence of dangerous TikTok challenges that pose serious risks to the safety and well-being of users, especially teens.

Latest TikTok Challenges: Did You Know These Are Happening?

Children are growing up surrounded by technology - not all of which is safe! We’re rounded up 10 apps that  kids use which parents should be keeping an eye on.



10 Apps That Parents Should Monitor With Parental Controls

Summer is the perfect time to get your kids off their screens and into the great outdoors or engage in creative, hands-on activities. With a little planning and enthusiasm, you can help your children discover the joys of the season while also fostering their development and strengthening family bonds. 


Fun Summer Activities to Reduce Screen Time for Kids

Here are 7 apps to familiarize yourself with in order to best understand what kids may be viewing, how we can find safer ways to monitor them, and how to open up those conversations with your child surrounding if, how and when they should use certain apps.

The 7 Most Dangerous Apps for Kids and Teens

The presence of smartphones in schools has sparked a heated debate among educators, parents, and policymakers. Do smartphones enhance learning and communication, or are they more likely to lead to distraction and cyberbullying?

Why Should Phones Be Allowed In School? Pros & Cons

The word ‘games’ implies fun – but some of these popular online experiences, even those aimed at kids, contain worrying content. Here's what you should be looking out for.

7 Alarming Online Games to Watch Out For

Gacha Games are a relatively new genre of online gaming, whose popularity is on the rise.

What is a Gacha Game? Everything you need to know

"Sneaky link" is a slang term that refers to a secret or discreet meeting between two people who are romantically interested in each other.

Sneaky Link: The What, Who, How, and Why of This Online Slang

Lead gaming app Roblox is an online platform where games can be both made and played by users. With so many varied games on offer, there are games on the platform that aren’t remotely child-friendly or appropriate for all ages.

Worried About Sexual Roblox Content? 5 Games to Look Out For

Whether you love Turkey and cranberries, family get-togethers, or online shopping sprees, this weekend promises to be an exciting one. With companies gearing up for online and in-store sales, and people of all generations getting ready to celebrate, Thanksgiving weekend is one of the most anticipated of the year.

Amidst all the hype, at FamilyKeeper our main concern is that your family enjoys this time period, without any fears or worries. More time at home often means more screen time - and more screen time comes with a host of other problems. We all know that there is a lot of unsolicited content available online, and spending excessive amounts of time on a screen isn’t particularly healthy.

However, you can definitely direct the excess screen time towards being educational, beneficial, and productive. FamilyKeeper has rounded up the top apps to help you and your kids enhance Thanksgiving.

## Issa’s Edible Adventures

This cute app follows the adventures of Issa as she discovers the ingredients from around the world, to make exciting new meals. Free from in-app purchases and in-app advertisements, and suitable for ages 6 and above, this app contains cooking games, as well as inspiration for yummy new dishes for you to try this Thanksgiving.

## Zoom or FaceTime

It’s not always possible to be together on holidays. Make use of video-calling apps, such as Zoom or FaceTime, to speak to loved ones who are far away. Being able to video chat people from afar, when you can’t be with them in person, is one of the best uses of modern technology that has been made available to the masses. So whether your kids want to speak to their grandparents, cousins or friends abroad, using a video-calling app is a great way to enable this.

## Canva

Are you inviting people for Thanksgiving dinner? Have you got great photos from the weekend? Canva is a simple-to-use graphic design program that kids and adults can enjoy using, in order to create professional-looking invitations, enhance photos, and experiment with designs. 

## Just Dance Now 

These days, you don’t have to be a couch potato just because a screen is on - get involved with a dance app such as Just Dance Now and enjoy some great cardio after all that heavy turkey and stuffing!  The whole family can get involved as well, which is always fun.

So this Thanksgiving, you can let your kids enjoy some screen time in a safe environment. But be sure to make time for other activities as well. Play a game of football in the park, meet up with friends, pick a family board game - yes a family movie in the evening is also great to snuggle up to, just make sure there isn’t screen time overload! 

And if you are worried about your family's screen time schedule, there’s always the FamilyKeeper parental control app, powered by [ReasonLabs](https://reasonlabs.com), to help you effectively plan your family’s screen time for the day, block dangerous apps and sites, and get alerts that your kids are always somewhere safe!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving_blog_2022_f167bbeaf1.avif

New year, new resolutions, new technology, new apps, new dangers … at the rate technology is constantly evolving and changing, there is always something new on the scene. And while that ‘something new’ may be the most amazing piece of technology ever, as we are all aware, there are often side effects as well.

There are more new apps than ever exploding onto the scene. We’ve rounded up the top 3 new apps that parents ought to know about:

## ChatGPT
ChatGPT from [OpenAI](https://openai.com/) is currently taking the world by storm with its innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) to write and inform about anything and everything.

So what exactly is ChatGPT? In short, ChatGPT is a next-generation chatbot that uses AI in order to understand natural human language and generate impressively human-like written content. Created by OpenAI, an AI research and deployment company, the letters ‘GPT’ here refer to ‘Generative Pre-Trained Transformer’ i.e. a sophisticated model that uses deep machine learning to produce human-like text.

What’s most fascinating about this new chatbot is that it can generate new sentences and large volumes of material relevant to the user, rather than simply repeating pre-recorded responses, as seen with previous chatbots.  

With more than a [million users](https://www.demandsage.com/chatgpt-statistics/), ChatGPT is being used for anything and everything, from generating informal content like Secret Santa riddles and Best Man wedding speeches to creating more formal articles and academic essays, and writing computer code. Poems, plays, stories and essays - this text generator can seemingly produce entire written works after being fed a simple text prompt. 

Recent concerns surrounding this product have included: 
- Will students use it for homework? 
- Will it pass muster for academic essays? 
- Is it ‘cheating’? 
- Can people recognize that these texts are AI-generated? 

New York public schools have [reportedly](https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/05/as-nyc-public-schools-block-chatgpt-openai-says-its-working-on-mitigations-to-help-spot-chatgpt-generated-text/) already restricted access to ChatGPT amid fears that it will be used to cheat at schoolwork - leading OpenAI to open the discussion of whether they will add a watermark to their content to alert educators if the app has been used, and also how best they can direct the app to be of educational value.

Be sure to impress upon your child that they shouldn’t use this app as a ‘quick fix’ when it comes to homework and projects. It doesn’t help students develop problem-solving or critical-thinking skills.

## BeReal
Created in 2020, [BeReal](https://bere.al/en) is a French social media app that has been steadily gaining popularity in the U.S. In August of 2022, it [surpassed](https://petapixel.com/bereal-guide/) 20 million downloads - cementing it as a top new app by Apple. 

BeReal is a simple photo-sharing app, designed to be used among friends, whereby photos are shared at a different set time every day. Since users do not know in advance when the picture will be taken and shared, there can't be any planning or enhancing for the best impression. It’s designed to remove the fake gloss that tints Instagram and other social media apps, offering more authenticity and less photoshopping. Unlike other social media platforms, BeReal actively prevents branding and audience building, keeping the user experience as ‘rea’ as possible.

Although safety concerns have been addressed to a degree - for example, the default setting is private unless the user changes it to public, and as with Snapchat, photos are deleted after 24 hours. The ongoing issue is that if someone chooses to screenshot an image, they will still retain it even after the app has been deleted. Sharing photos online is an ongoing concern, there’s always the risk of strangers or possible predators. Additionally, you don’t know what other content your child could be exposed to.

Another thing to be aware of with the new app: Location. The default is that the user’s location is shown - a child or teen needs to turn it off to protect their privacy manually. It’s these little details concerning their privacy that young users may not know about. 

## Mastodon

Have you heard of Mastodon yet? [In 2022](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/01/revenue-tesla-elon-musks-twitter-staff-investors), millions of users began flocking to the new social media platform. So what is Mastodon? 

This decentralized social media network currently has 1.4 million monthly active users, according to its website. Mastodon is built on open-source software and resides on the Fediverse, which stands for "federated universe," an online universe of applications and websites connected by thousands of independent servers. Currently, there are about 5,700 Mastodon servers on the Fediverse. Much of the appeal of this social media network stems from the fact that it doesn't belong to any one person or organization.

So, unlike connecting to one platform or organization, in the case of Twitter for example, when you connect to Mastodon, you first connect to one of these servers, run by either a group or individual person. Each group may have its own rules for joining and how content is moderated - in a similar fashion to a Facebook Group admin or moderator. Once you are on a server, you can see posts and messages from anyone across the entirety of Mastodon's servers.

So what are the Mastodon risks and concerns?

Mastodon has a clear [Privacy Policy](https://mastodon.social/privacy-policy) explaining that they collect user data including email addresses, IP addresses, and browser metadata, as this helps with moderation and functionality. The actual privacy risks lie in the operator of the server, who can view a lot more sensitive information, like direct messages users exchange on Mastodon. These messages aren’t end-to-end encrypted, which means that the server owner can read everything in plaintext. 

On its website [Terms of Service](https://mstdn.io/terms), Mastodon suggests that users do not share any sensitive information on the platform. However, young social media users have increasingly shown themselves to be relatively unaware of their digital footprint and their disclosing of sensitive information online. So before your kid uses this app, reiterate to them the importance of online privacy. 

Whatever new apps your kids are experimenting with, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with them and get savvy surrounding any risks and pitfalls. Using a parental control app, such as [FamilyKeeper](http://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com), is also recommended, as you will receive alerts if your child’s safety is being compromised, such as if an unknown contact is attempting to message them, or offensive language is being used on an app.

For more information, visit: [https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com/](https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com/)

3 Apps parents should know about in 2023 (1).jpg

Discord is a popular messaging and voice chat platform that is widely used by gamers and other online communities. While it can be a useful tool for communication and connecting with others, is Discord safe for kids? There are some inherent risks that parents and guardians should be aware of when it comes to their kids and Discord safety.

## Is Discord for kids? 

Discord is a versatile messaging app that allows users to communicate with each other in a variety of ways, making it a popular choice for online communities and gaming groups. But is Discord for kids? Discord was primarily designed for gamers but has since expanded to other communities as well. It allows users to create and join ‘servers’ where they can chat with other members via text, voice, and video. Discord servers are essentially online communities centered around specific topics or interests and can be made public or private.

## Is Discord for teens?

There are some Discord servers that are designed specifically for kids with age-appropriate content and moderation, including educational, gaming, and social servers. Additionally, there are Discord servers for teens, which typically provide a space for teens to socialize, share interests, and connect with others in their age group. 

Teens Discord servers may focus on specific teen-related topics or hobbies, while others may be more general and open to discussing a wide range of topics. Additionally, many teen Discord servers have rules and guidelines in place to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all members.

However, parents and guardians should be aware that Discord servers are not inherently safe for kids and teens and they should understand the Discord dangers. While the platform offers many tools to keep users safe, including moderation and content-filtering features, there is still the risk of encountering inappropriate content or interacting with strangers who may not have good intentions. 

According to the [NSPCC](https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/online-safety-blog/should-i-let-my-child-use-discord/), young users have contacted Childline to support cyberbullying and online harassment that they have experienced using this app, making its use a worry for parents. With this knowledge in hand, parents and guardians can draw their own conclusions on the answer to the question: “Is Discord safe for kids?”

Discord’s minimum age recommendation on their site is 13+, but on the App store, its age rating is 17+ and on the Google Play Store it has a “Teen” rating. However, under-17s can still register and use the platform. 

## How does Discord work?

When you sign up for Discord, you need to instigate a username, and you can then create a server that you can invite your friends to. You can join existing servers by using an invite link or by searching for servers based on your interests.

Within a server, a user can chat with other members using text-based channels, or join voice channels to talk with them using a microphone. Users can also share images, videos, and other files within the server.

Discord also includes several features to make communication easier, such as the ability to tag specific users or groups of users, react to messages with emojis, and send direct messages to other users. Additionally, Discord allows users to integrate third-party apps and bots, which can be used to perform a variety of tasks such as playing music or moderating chat.

## Discord safety and Discord security codes

How safe is Discord from a cybersecurity perspective? Discord offers a two-factor authentication (2FA) security code as an additional layer of security that helps to protect your account from unauthorized access. Anyone who uses Discord can choose to enable the security code feature and use 2FA to better secure their account. It is especially recommended for users who have sensitive information on their accounts and may want to take extra precautions to prevent hacking or unauthorized access. 

Discord bot security is another component users should be aware of. Security bot Discord technologies function as applications designed to protect and secure a Discord server. These bots are equipped with features such as anti-spam, anti-raid, anti-phishing, anti-malware, and anti-bot protection, which help to prevent malicious attacks and ensure the safety of the server and its members. They also provide tools for managing server permissions, monitoring user activity, and enforcing rules and regulations. Discord security bots are essential for maintaining a secure and safe community on the platform.

### Discord dangers

Despite the cybersecurity features that are in place, we still need to know more about the dangers of Discord, Discord trust and safety issues, and what risks should users be aware of.

### Inappropriate content

One risk of using Discord for kids is the potential for exposure to inappropriate content. While Discord has policies in place to prevent the sharing of explicit or harmful content, it is still possible for users to encounter such material. For example, some users may create channels or servers dedicated to sharing inappropriate images or videos. Additionally, users can share links to external websites that may contain inappropriate content.

### Cyberbullying

Like any online platform, Discord is not immune to cyberbullying. Bullying behavior can occur, such as spreading rumors or gossip, sending threatening messages, or excluding others from channels or servers. This can have a serious impact on the mental health and well-being of young users.

### Online predators

Another risk is the potential for exposure to online predators. While Discord has policies in place to prevent users from sharing personal information, it is still possible for young users to be targeted by online predators. Predators may pose as other kids or adults in order to gain the trust of their targets and ultimately exploit them in some way.

## Discord trust and safety measures

What can parents and guardians do to help protect their kids while they are using Discord? 

Here are a few tips:

1. **Monitor your child's activity on Discord**: While it's important to give kids some privacy, it's also important to know what they are doing on the platform. You can ask them to show you what they are doing or join the server yourself to see what's happening.

2. **Set screen time limits**: It's important to set limits on how much time kids spend on Discord (and other screen-based activities) in order to ensure they are not spending too much time online.

3. **Use the “Report” feature**: Discord has a "Report" feature that allows users to report channels or servers that violate the platform's terms of service. Encourage your child to use this feature if they encounter something that makes them feel uncomfortable, such as inappropriate content or behavior.

4. **Oversharing personal information**: Remind your child not to share personal information, such as their full name, address, phone number, or other identifying information on Discord (or any other online platform).

5. **Communication is key**: It's important to have ongoing conversations with your child about online safety. Encourage them to come to you if they encounter something that makes them feel uncomfortable or if they are being bullied or harassed online.

By taking these steps, you can help protect your child while they are using Discord, or any other popular social media apps.

Additionally, utilizing a parental control app like FamilyKeeper, with in-built screen time limiting features and offensive keyword notifications, can help you monitor your child’s online activity. 

If you are interested in learning more about the dangers of particular apps, and the benefits of using a parental control app, you can read more [here](https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com/why).

For more information on different features of the FamilyKeeper app, including blocking unknown contacts, geolocation tools, and alerts when inappropriate language is detected, visit us at [https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com/](https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com/) or download the app from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reasonlabs.familykeeper.parentalcontrol.parents) or the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/familykeeper-parental-control/id1637350511). 



33_Dangers of Discord-1.png

With so many apps available that provide entertainment or educational value, it can be challenging to sift through which apps are as innocent as they look and are actually safe apps for kids, and which apps can pose online dangers or risks for your kids, and should really be added to your dangerous apps list.

There are so many popular apps for kids in 2023, but there are several genres of mobile apps that parents should be concerned about. Now that we have a “block apps” feature at our disposal on the FamilyKeeper parental control app, it’s important to take a look at which popular apps are unsafe apps for kids and should really be on the dangerous apps list - and also [how to block apps on iPhones](https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com/ios_app), and [how to block apps on Android](https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com/android_app) smartphones. 

So which popular apps should you consider blocking?

## Dangerous Apps List - Unsafe Apps for Kids

### Social Media Apps

Social media apps are basically synonymous with having a smartphone, so it’s important to understand where the problems lie. Social media apps, as adults will know, are useful and fun up to a point. However, there’s a fine line where they move from enhancing your life to becoming a narcissistic whirlwind of ‘Look at me!’ and ‘Is my life interesting enough?’, followed by the other body image, self-worth, and ‘Like / Love’ [dopamine hit](https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/your-health/living-well/the-addictiveness-of-social-media-how-teens-get-hooked) problems that can cause screen time addiction.

For impressionable young people, social media apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, can be dangerous as they can expose children and teens to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and online predators. It’s important that parents understand how these social media apps work, what they entail, and whether their children are old enough to have accounts.

### Dating Apps

There are many dating apps available these days. The most popular and well-known dating apps are, amongst others, Tinder, Bumble, and Grindr. However, these apps are specifically designed for adults, and although each may have its own safeguards - for example, Bumble allows the female to have control over when contact is initiated - each and any of these dating apps can expose children and teens to inappropriate content, online grooming, and sexual exploitation.

Due to the nature of meeting unknown contacts over dating apps, these apps are deemed unsafe apps for kids.

### Gaming Apps

Many gaming apps are addictive and time-consuming, leading to decreased productivity, social isolation, and sleep deprivation. Additionally, some gaming apps may expose children and teens to violent or graphic content. For example, Roblox is notorious for inadvertently [exposing children to sexual content](https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com/blog/worried-about-sexual-roblox-content-5-games-to-look-out-for). Fortnite is a popular multiplayer game that involves shooting and fighting with intense graphics. And Call of Duty has released a mobile version of the popular first-person shooter game, which also involves realistic depictions of violence and is rated for ages 17+. 

It's important for parents to review the content and ratings of any gaming app before allowing their children to download and play it.  

### Anonymous Chat Apps

Anonymous apps like Whisper and Anonymous Chat allow users to post anonymously, which can lead to cyberbullying, harassment, and online grooming - and are therefore unsafe apps for kids. By definition, we can’t ever know for sure who is behind an unknown profile, so apps like these are extremely dangerous for naive young users. Recently, many apps have come under fire from governing bodies, educational institutions, and the parenting community for not doing enough to protect young users.

For example, TikTok has recently faced criticism for not doing enough to shield teens from inappropriate content. In response, TikTok has added a [new feature](https://www.reuters.com/technology/tiktok-develop-parental-control-tool-block-certain-videos-2023-03-01/), whereby teens will need to enter a passcode to continue using the app past the one-hour time limit. Additionally, parents will be able to block videos that contain specific words or hashtags. Similarly, Instagram’s new ‘[Quiet Mode](https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/19/instagrams-new-quiet-mode-helps-you-take-a-break-from-the-app/)’ will allow users to manage their screen time, take a break and switch off.

While it’s good to know that companies themselves are taking some responsibility to lessen the negative effects of app use, ultimately, it’s the parents of young users who have their child’s best interests at heart. Now that we’ve discussed which apps are unsafe apps for kids, we can examine how to block apps that don’t make the safety cut - and also see whether there is an app to block apps that can handle this safety measure.

## FamilyKeeper - The App To Block Apps

All parents should know how to block apps on iPhones and how to block apps on Android phones. It is important for parents to monitor their children's mobile app usage and take steps to ensure that they are not exposed to inappropriate content or online predators.  FamilyKeeper is a great app to block apps as it allows parents to decide which apps to block or unblock at any time. FamilyKeeper can also help parents limit screen time, and monitor their children's online activity.

### How To Block Apps On Phones

To learn how to block apps on phones using the FamilyKeeper parental control app, follow these steps:

1. Open the FamilyKeeper app on the parent device.
2. Go to the "Control" section in the app.
3. Click on the "App Blocker" option.
4. You will see a list of all the apps installed on your child's device. Select the app that you want to block.
5. Once you have selected the app, you will see the option to either "Block" the app. If you choose to block the app, your child will not be able to access it at all. 
6. After making your selection, click on the "Save" button.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for any other apps that you want to block.

### How To Block Apps At Certain Times 

If you don’t want to block a particular app completely, but you want to be able to block apps at certain times - for example, maybe you want to turn off Instagram at night so your child isn’t disturbed or distracted by so many pinging messages, or you want to discourage endless scrolling - follow these steps:

1. Open the FamilyKeeper app on the parent device.
2. Go to the "Control" section in the app.
3. Click on the "App Blocker" option.
4. You will see a list of all the apps installed on your child's device. Select the app you want to add a time limit to. 
5. Once you have selected the app, you will see the option to "Time Limit" the app.  If you choose to time limit the app, your child will only be able to use the app for a certain amount of time each day.
6. After making your selection, click on the "Save" button.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for any other apps to which you would like to add screen time limits.

At FamilyKeeper, our commitment to keeping kids cyber safe is our highest priority. However, we encourage parents to use their good judgment when it comes to blocking or limiting apps on their child’s phones. It goes without saying that inappropriate apps should be blocked for younger users. 

Teens are a different story. Once your child reaches an age where they feel they are responsible to use certain apps, and also want some of their own privacy, we encourage you to talk to your child about how, why, and when they use particular apps. And if an app really does seem dangerous and your child shouldn’t be using it, it’s worthwhile taking the time to explain the risks to your child.

For more information on different features of the FamilyKeeper app, including blocking unknown contacts, geolocation tools, and alerts when inappropriate language is detected, visit us at [https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com/](https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com/) or download the app from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reasonlabs.familykeeper.parentalcontrol.parents) or the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/familykeeper-parental-control/id1637350511). 


#Apps