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/)

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.

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

Three Popular Apps in 2023 That Parents Should Know About

It’s now September and the kids are firmly back in school!

As well as meeting new teachers and classmates, and navigating school corridors and timetables, kids of today are also negotiating their way around the latest social media platforms, and what’s trending.

Unfortunately, what’s currently in fashion where social media is concerned isn’t always rosy.  Over the summer, the tragic story of Archie Battersbee unfolded, resulting in his life support being turned off, months after he attempted the TikTok Blackout Challenge – and yet this hasn’t stopped other teenagers from attempting, and losing their lives to, the same challenge.  

As parents, we need to be aware of what ‘challenges’ are in vogue on social media – some may seem innocuous, some alarmingly dangerous, and no child should ever feel peer pressured to try something they don’t feel comfortable with.

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

## Blackout Challenge

The ‘Blackout Challenge’ has been around since 2008, but while it seemed to dissipate for a while, it resurfaced in 2021, causing untold agony for parents and families. Also known as the ‘Choking Challenge’, the Blackout Challenge encourages the participant to hold their breath until they pass out.

What people may not realize is that the resultant loss of oxygen to the brain can in fact cause irreparable brain damage, and in extreme cases result in loss of life. According to the CDC, the Blackout Challenge has been responsible for over 80 deaths – and that number has only increased since it re-emerged as a TikTok challenge.

We strongly urge our readers to look out for the following signs that someone may be attempting this challenge:

🚫 Bloodshot eyes

🚫 Marks on their neck

🚫 A sense of disorientation after spending time on their own

🚫 Severe headaches

If you fear that someone may be at risk, seek help and advice immediately.

## Angel of Death Challenge

This challenge originated in Indonesia in 2021 and saw a resurgence in 2022. It involves jumping in front of a moving vehicle and acting on the assumption that said vehicle will stop in time.  Unfortunately, and realistically, this is not always the case – and footage was posted in June of this year of a group of teenagers trying the challenge, resulting in death.

Common sense should tell us that this is undoubtedly an awful challenge to attempt to do – but again, the widespread nature of social media trends can lead to susceptible young people being misled, and mistaking ‘dangerous’ and ‘risky’ for ‘fun’ and ‘exciting’. 

## Orbeez Challenge

Sweeping across the States this summer, the Orbeez challenge involves shooting water beads, which are sometimes frozen into hard pellets, out of a toy or air gun.  

Pointing any kind of weapon at somebody else, however harmless your intention may be, is never acceptable. If these pellets strike someone on the head, they can actually kill – leading to this challenge now being a prosecutable offense.

There are many more challenges of varying degrees of danger that are possible to view online – and we urge you to discourage your family members from viewing these as anything but the dangerous pranks that they are.  It’s vital that parents and teachers warn kids and students about the dangers of trying out these challenges.

TikTok itself has its own rules and guidelines to try and eliminate any dangerous activity, and there is the option to report videos or images that may be on the social media site.

## How can you report content on TikTok?

❇️ On the right-hand side of a TikTok video, find and click on the white arrow

❇️ Tap the ‘report’ icon / flag symbol

❇️ Continue to follow the instructions provided in order to report dangerous content

In addition, we recommend using a top parental control app, such as FamilyKeeper, that can notify you when your child visits an inappropriate site, provides alerts when incendiary keywords are used, and lets you block specific platforms and content.  Let this school year be one with peace of mind for your family – read more about staying cyber safe at https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com

You are also most welcome to join our Facebook group [Digital World Parenting](https://www.facebook.com/groups/dwparenting) for advice from experts, tips from other parents, and to join our parenting discussion board.

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

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Online Threats To Be Aware Of: 3 Dangerous TikTok Challenges

It’s the summer holidays, and kids everywhere have more free time on their hands in order to explore online, utilize social media platforms, and play video games. Unfortunately for us parents of these tech-savvy kids, tweens and teens – we don’t necessarily know what some of these games are all about. 

## Roblox Sex Games
When we think of our kids playing video games online, we may be imagining the old-school innocence of Pacman or Solitaire – but what is actually on offer is much scarier.

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. Certainly, parents are not imagining that their kids may have access to Roblox sex games, or porn games on Roblox.

## Con Games on Roblox
Earlier this year, a BBC investigation revealed a spate of ‘condos’ discovered on the platform – sex parties where avatars can talk about and have sex. The advent of sexual games on Roblox is extremely worrying. Roblox has acknowledged that this is indeed a problem, and although most condos, (or ‘Roblox cons or ‘Roblox scented cons’ as they are sometimes known), are extremely short-lived – lasting about an hour before they are discovered and removed – their very existence is troubling parents, who are still concerned that this is happening at all. 

## How to Find Inappropriate Roblox Games
These particular games on Roblox – sexual, pornographic and violent in nature – are also not ones that you would stumble across. You need to actively search for them. However, threat actors determined to abuse the system can still slip through the net. 

‘It’s a “cat and mouse” issue. There are people who are going out of their way to game the systems,” the BBC quoted Larry Magid, president of ConnectSafely – a non-profit organization that raises awareness about child safety online.

Roblox themselves are currently policing the issue and do have parental control settings on the games – but as parents, we do need to be aware and understand what content kids could potentially be exposed to.

## Sexual Games on Roblox

At the moment, five of the most prominent sexually explicit and pornographic Roblox games are as follows:

1. Shower Stimulator: Whereby players can take a bath together, leading to intimate and erotic moments and conversations between participants
2. Dance Club: Players engage in sexual dance moves
3. Shedletsky’s Dirty Place: Kids come together in Shedletsky’s house and engage in a variety of dirty activities
4. Obby Games: Involving disturbing tasks that the player needs to complete before moving on to the next level
5. Club Iris: Seedy activity in seedy hotel rooms

For younger children, if they don’t know how to search for sexual Roblox games, it’s unlikely they will come across any of these concerning games.  However, it is important to check with your kids about what they are being exposed to and open the channels of conversation to discuss what kinds of games they like playing.

Additionally, the violence of some Roblox games can also be upsetting. For example, Zombie Attack requires you to kill all the zombies by stabbing or shooting, with shockingly graphic blood spurting out. Haunted Hunters is a shooting game that is actually meant for adults, but can still be accessed by kids. And Survive the Killers is notoriously violent and terrible, whereby kids use an array of weapons to slaughter and kill other players.

In Submarine Story, your avatar is in a submarine, setting out to explore the ocean. Not particularly worrying. However, squid men falling through the roof and trying to kill you with a knife, and shouting messages like “You will perish!” are pretty haunting – especially as the squid man’s face is eerily creepy. 

Remember, although Roblox undoubtedly attracts millions of kids under the age of 12, Common Sense Media warns parents that due to ‘iffy content’, it should really have a 13+ rating. Adult predators are also able to interact with kids using the platform. 

So take the time this summer to explore the platform a little and understand how Roblox works. By familiarizing ourselves with what content Roblox has to offer, parents will be in a better position to comprehend what kids are seeing, playing, and being exposed to – and hopefully will be able to protect kids from anything untoward, and from stumbling across sexual and porn-related subject matter on Roblox’s platform.

It is also strongly recommended to utilize a parental control app that can alert you if your kids are being exposed to inappropriate content or flags when sexual, pornographic or bullying keywords are used. A parental control app like FamilyKeeper can help give parents peace of mind, safeguarding young family members from offensive content across the most popular social media platforms.

For more information on the FamilyKeeper app, visit: [https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com](https://familykeeper.reasonlabs.com) and join our [Facebook Community Group Digital World Parenting](https://www.facebook.com/groups/dwparenting).

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.

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

It’s August and it’s summer – yet Back to School signs are everywhere as kids and parents alike get ready to brave the new school year.

Backpack? Check. Pencil case? Check. Lunchbox? Check. New school shirt? Check. Everyone is starting a new school class – with some kids even beginning a brand new school. And as we all know, with kids wanting to fit in, along with parents wanting to keep kids safe, and just the general fact that we are in 2022 – giving your child a phone has become part of the back-to-school prep.

Giving your child a phone is a big consideration. Are they old enough? Are they responsible enough? You may have decided they need one for the school journey, or maybe they’ve reached an appropriate age, or maybe it’s simply peer pressure. It’s difficult these days with class Whatsapp groups being so popular – kids have genuine FOMO (fear of missing out) if they don’t also have a phone to call their own.

But 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! 

When you reach that milestone of handing your child a phone, utilizing a parental control app such as FamilyKeeper adds an important layer of protection for parents and kids. Now we know what you’re thinking: it’s all very well adding blockers and parental controls to the tablet my 6-year-old messes around with at home – but what happens when my teenager decides Mom and Dad are invading their privacy? 

Let’s take a look at the important reasons why you should be using parental control apps – and how to deal with any objections your kids may raise. 

## Geolocation

Parts of the world are safe; parts of the world are not so safe. It’s our job to protect our children. Maybe your kid takes the bus to school? Perhaps they’re meeting friends to go to the mall or to a park? As parents, our main aim is to keep our children safe, and knowing where your kids are is a part of that.

It’s understandable that from a kid’s perspective, they won’t want you to feel that you are invading their privacy – that’s why it’s so important for you to explain your concerns to your child. Unfortunately, the world isn’t a safe place and it’s also an enormous place! Thankfully, geofencing and location trackers enable a parent and child to decide together which areas are safe. Your child can have their own input into the discussions, as you set the “safe zones”.

A parental control app like FamilyKeeper gives that element of security to know that family members are in safe territories – but you can decide where, and how far that is, together, before you set the controls.

## Cyberbullying

Just think about this for a second – have you ever received a message that’s made your heart sink? Have you perhaps sent messages to someone that may have been unkind? Has anyone ever sent something that’s made you cringe, or been embarrassed, or that you think was inappropriate for social media? These are the kinds of questions that can be asked of both generations – there’s a very high chance that both parent and child can empathize with these situations.

Cyberbullying is on the rise, and the last thing anyone wants is for their kid to either be a victim or, in fact, the bully. It’s so easy to become a troll these days or to get away with writing something to someone that you wouldn’t even think of saying to their face.

Unfortunately, it’s also ridiculously easy for a kid to be so upset by an online comment about them, that they will hide it from their parents instead of asking for help and advice. This then triggers a vicious cycle of awful cyber behavior, that may be kept under the radar until something explosive happens.`

By all means, your kid should be able to enjoy social media, messaging friends, and adding posts, reels, videos, and comments. Adding the FamilyKeeper app and deciding on trigger words simply protects against anyone feeling emotionally hurt or vulnerable. With FamilyKeeper, you and your child can decide together which words should be added to the “keyword” list so that you’ll be alerted if inappropriate or offensive language is being used.

## The Family Schedule

We all know realistically that it’s unhealthy for your mind, body and soul to spend too much time glued to a device. Kids and adults alike these days are hooked on screens – but too much screen time can cause disruptive sleep patterns, and antisocial behavior, as people forget how to interact face-to-face. 

It’s also ridiculously easy to lose track of time when using a screen – we’ve all heard ‘Just one more episode!”, “Just one more level!”, or “Just five more minutes!”  Parents don’t want their kids to feel that they can’t manage or organize their own schedule but we all, adults included, know how easy it is to lose track of time while staring at a screen, and forget that there is a real-world out there with face-to-face interaction, physical activity and good ol’ fresh air.

A parental control app like FamilyKeeper can utilize screen time controls, which can help you decide together how much screen time is healthy for your family, when bedtime should be, and just generally plan a healthier weekly schedule. You can effectively plan your day / week / month so that real life doesn’t pass you by while you are staring at a device.

There’s no shame in wanting to keep your family safe – and the best parental control apps are a great way to do so. You wouldn’t let a driver out on the roads without driving lessons first, would you? Parental control apps like FamilyKeeper provide your kid with the tools they need to navigate their online environment safely – it’s the training wheels that will guide them through their early experiences of handling a phone responsibly, how to treat others (and be treated) with respect on social media, and managing their screen time effectively.

So before the back-to-school rush really gets going, take the time to open up the channels of communication with your child – both sides should feel they are being heard while bearing in mind that the key goal of the best parental control apps is to keep kids safe from harm.

For more information and to start your free 7-day trial: www.familykeeper.reasonlabs.com. 

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!

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#Cyberthreats