Issue link: http://accesshealth.uberflip.com/i/511734
Who's Watching Who? When it Comes to Safety, Ignorance Isn't Bliss According to a survey released at the Third Annual Cox Communications National Summit on Internet Safety, 90 percent of tweens report having used the Internet by the age of nine and 34 percent of eleven-and twelve-year-olds have a profile on a social networking site. More alarming is the fact that an estimated 50,000 predators are online at any given moment, according to law enforcement officials. The FBI reported that when children enter an Internet chat room, they have a 100 percent chance of being approached by a predator, and on average, contact takes place in less than a minute. Research from InternetSafety101.org showed that teens with social networking profiles post very personal information online, including their deepest desires, likes and dislikes, real-time moods, pictures (sometimes sexually explicit), addresses, phone numbers, false ages and more—for anyone to see. The latest social media installment attracting teens is YouNow, a live-stream broadcasting (live- casting) website which lets users perform for and interact with viewers all over the world, via the cameras on their computers, tablets and smartphones. A hybrid of sorts between YouTube and live-stream apps like Meerkat and Periscope, YouNow boasts 100 million streaming videos per month. Essentially, YouNow brings those who want to be watched together with those who are willing to watch. Unlike other popular websites and apps that allow users to post videos and broadcasts in "bursts," YouNow encourages long-form streaming, for hours at a time, even while the broadcaster is asleep. Alarming testimonials on the website flaunt that it allows for users' voices to be heard, no matter what the circumstances. YouNow user, Max Wright, wrote, "People that are watching you have no idea who you are besides your name and what you look like. You feel like a completely different person." Another user commented, "There are many other broadcasting websites out there on the Internet but nothing will ever match up to YouNow purely because you don't have to be known on the Internet - you can simply broadcast and be guaranteed to have an audience watching." That "guaranteed audience" is likely filled with potentially harmful viewers who can prey on an array of innocent live-streamers. Simply browsing through the tiles representing various users' streams, there's no denying the multitude of videos that might attract an unpleasant set. While investigating YouNow, CBS Newswire found one underage teen streaming in the #truthordare section. In this section, the 14-year-old earnestly replied to a commenter who suggested girls can't make their elbows meet in front of their chests. She fell for the trap, trying over and over again to do just that, innocently pressing her breasts together each time for viewers to see. CBS Newswire also stumbled across the #sleepingsquad, a tag denoting broadcasters who leave the camera rolling as they sleep. A predator could watch kids alone in their bedrooms at night and simply be labeled a "viewer." As a popular occupant of the digital age, YouNow's presence among the teenage population is hard to ignore. Even harder to ignore is its impact on worried parents, who must glare at the unsettling reality of what the Internet and social media are capable of. YouNow is merely one example of the risky activities children partake in while parents are not looking, and everyone else is. To combat potentially inappropriate interactions online, parents should stay in the loop about the latest websites and apps their child is using. After all, Facebook being the one-stop shop for all your child's social media needs is merely a thing of the past. Internet safety advocate, CommonSenseMedia.org, recently laid out some of the most popular types of apps and websites teens take part in, and several of them are not "stranger-danger" savvy. Apps termed "Self-Destructing/Secret," like Secret – Speak Freely, Snapchat, Whisper and Yik Yak are several possible fixtures on your teen's phone and computer screen. Secret – Speak Freely, Whisper and Yik Yak are all alike in the sense that they are designed to let users voice whatever is on their minds, anonymously. This habit of anonymous posting can lead to cyber bullying and inappropriate relationships between users. Random and potentially controversial opinions, secrets and rumors can be shared with anyone in seconds. Snapchat, a messaging app that lets users put a time limit on the pictures and videos they send before they disappear, is also extremely risky. Most teens use the app to share goofy or embarrassing photos without the risk of them going public. However, there are lots of opportunities to use it in other ways. The seemingly risk-free messaging might encourage users to share pictures containing sexy images, because they think those images will disappear when that time limit runs out. For example, "Screenshotting" images via smartphones is just one way viewers can save a Snapchat and keep it forever, for whomever to see. Aside from those not-so-secret apps are chatting and dating apps. MeetMe, Omegle, Skout and Tinder are a few of the most commonly used chatting and dating apps among teens, which often require By Morgan Nail intimate details in order for them to even sign up. These details include a first and last name, ZIP code and age, all of which can be exaggerated. Although not marketed as a dating app, MeetMe does have a "Match" feature whereby users can "secretly admire" others, and its large user base means fast-paced communication and guaranteed attention – from anyone. Omegle is similar to MeetMe, though it lets users be matched up with a stranger in their choice of a text chat or video chat room. Being anonymous can be very attractive to teens, and Omegle provides a no-fuss opportunity to make connections. Skout is an app which allows users to sign up as teens or adults. They are then placed in the appropriate peer group, where they can post to a feed, comment on others' posts, add pictures and chat. Tinder, like Scout, allows users to browse pictures of potential matches within a certain-mile radius of the user's location. It's very popular with teens or 20-somethings as a way to meet new people for casual or long-term relationships. But with Tinder, it's all about swipes. You swipe right to "like" a photo or left to "pass." If a person whose photo you "liked" swipes "like" on your photo, too, the app allows you to message each other. Meeting up (and possibly hooking up) is pretty much the goal. Much of what teens discover and contribute online can be positive and enriching; however, it is obvious that much of the Internet is full of harm to a teen's privacy, reputation and physical safety. Concerned parents can view these tips for promoting online safety, courtesy of CommonSenseMedia.org: ● Discuss a code of conduct. Tell your kids that if they wouldn't say something to someone's face, they shouldn't text it, IM it, or post it. ● Remind your teens to use social networks' privacy settings so only their close friends and family members can see their stuff. ● Tell them not to send pictures to strangers or view pictures that strangers send to them. ● Explain to them that even messages and photos that promise to self-delete can be saved and shared by others. ● Keep passwords private. ● Remind your teens that people aren't necessarily who they say they are online; therefore having 500+ "friends" online does not endorse genuineness.