We as parents can rarely fully follow our children’s use of online services. New Apps are popping up here and there, and the young people are moving fast to the latest platforms. Where we might still think Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat are their primary SoMe service, the answer is probably closer that it’s the parents’ where the kids are already moving on to services like Discord, Twitch and Zoomerang.

Therefore, it may make sense to stay up to date on new services, and in particular how they handle the privacy and protection of minors. For it is rare that a new service has thought through all the possible risks and made sure to remedy them.

A quick Google search reveals a lot of websites that provide their input to the most dangerous apps to be aware of, but consensus is also that it is difficult to keep up. A good dialogue with the children about their habits and latest new platforms is therefore an important source for learning and understanding what the current trend is and then subsequently examining the services in more detail, whether they are suitable for your children. If this immediately sounds like a big task, then so be it if you do not have the tools in order.

Zoe is just a platform to both stay up to date on the young people’s specific habits and to risk assess the individual Apps, but thereby also facilitate a healthy dialogue about the specific Apps in the children’s universe, and ultimately set some simple rules for the use of the new (and old) services.

You can read more about how Zoe can help facilitate a safe and secure online experience for the whole family here

You can also read Family Education’s bids on the most dangerous apps you as parents should be aware of right now.