Living In The Light... In The Digital Age

In our current lesson series on 1 John, our theme is "Living In The Light". Throughout the entire breadth of human history we have had a problem with living in the light. But in the digital age, the  idea of living in the light takes on a whole new meaning. And, has new challenges. One challenge is our portable tech. Smart phones, ipods, and tablets are very powerful and are interwoven into our cultural DNA. Don't get me wrong, I love my portable tech; and, I'm not giving it back!  But, there is no denying that certain challenges do arise for our teens, and even ourselves with a handheld device that can do everything except bake bread!

Below are some apps that are found across all three platforms, and warrant a conversation with your teen. You may feel pushy, intrusive, and uncool by asking your teen about these. You're not. You are a great parent helping your teen to establish boundaries, and assess risk. That, will help them become healthy adults who move out of your house someday!

Check back here, for some tips and apps on how to protect your teen and be informed.

Apps to be wary of:

Messaging Apps:

Ask.fm: This app lets students ask questions and answers those posted by other users, sometimes anonymously. But it's coming under attack for intense bullying.

SnapChat. This iPhone app allows users to send photos that will "self destruct" within 10 seconds, encouraging kids to feel more comfortable "sexting" with peers. Once the recipient opens the pic, the timer starts. The picture destorys itself after the time runs out. This means that your kid can send a potentially damaging picture to a friend or someone else, and it won't stay on the recipient's phone. This app gives kids a false sense of security sending inappropriate pics; however, damage can still be done within a specified time frame. Talk to your child about the dangers of sending risky photos, and keep an eye out for SnapChat on her smartphone.

KiK Messenger. This kicky app for all types of smartphones is a mini social network. Similar to iChat or Google Chat, users can talk to multiple people, upload pics and files and even send built-in greeting cards or sketched pictures. Seems harmless, right? Wrong. While KiK is a great way for responsible users to keep in touch, based on reviews in the Google Playstore, it's turning out to have more to do with young teens flirting and sexting than just keeping in touch with friends. The reviews read like dating ads, with users looking to get to know more people. Like Facebook or Twitter, it's impossible to verify someone's identity through the world wide web. Bottom line: avoid this potentially dangerous app and talk to your kid about the risk of online predators.

Anonymity Apps:

Poof by Cydia. With one touch, Poof makes apps disappear before parents' prying eyes, allowing young users of "jailbroken" iPhones to virtually hide apps they don't want you to see. All your little tech genius needs to do is open Poof and select which app she wants hidden, and you'll never know it's there.

Anonymous Facebook Apps: Since Facebook’s launch, the social network has been rooted in the sharing of personal information to present one’s “real identity.” Yet in a drastic shift, Facebook announced that it will be letting members log in to certain apps anonymously. This move comes as more young people worry about being bound to online activity permanently. As a 23-year-old in our study explained, “I want to be online and not have ‘me’ all over it. In some ways, I don’t want to be held accountable for all of my online activity.” By allowing pseudonyms on its forthcoming apps, Facebook can appeal to those fearful of scrutiny. 


Backchat: Half of respondents in our survey feel like their real life and digital life are intertwined, which may cause them to feel exposed. The app Backchat (formerly called Backdoor), created by 14-year-old entrepreneur Daniel Singer, lessens anxiety by letting users send anonymous messages to anyone they’re connected to on Facebook or Google+. Curiosity over the sender’s identity drives a game, aided by free clues and additional hints with in-app purchases, where recipients guess who is messaging them. Clues don’t reveal identity directly, but help narrow down the possibilities. Nonetheless, the app allows recipients to focus on what’s being said before judging who said it.

Potluck: Fifty-six percent of young people we surveyed consider themselves observers when online. Link-sharing website Potluck targets these individuals who may be hesitant to share content due to fear of judgment. The platform, which was recently acquired by Facebook, hides posters’ identity until a reader clicks on a link. This method of anonymous posting puts the focus on what’s being shared, rather than who is sharing it. If no one is interested in a link, users simply won’t click it. But if people care about a topic, they can open the link to see who posted it, leave comments, and heart it. 

*Info on these apps gathered from:

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/worst-apps-kids/
http://www.cassandradaily.com/tech/cassandra-report-digest-generations-y-z-seek-anonymity-online/
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/daily-extras/popular-smartphone-apps-your-teen-doesnt-want-you-to-know-about-may-include-kik-poof-askfm