All About Wellness

Often referred to as ‘digital natives’, our young people are at the forefront of engaging with the internet across almost all facets of their lives. Young people are spending significant amounts of their formative years online, growing up alongside the internet and the social media world that contains apps with almost endless possibilities. 

As a parent or carer, it’s such a difficult task staying abreast of the ever changing world of social media.  The online world is full of opportunities for knowledge sharing, information gathering and social networking…but it’s not without it’s risks.

A must read for parents and carers

The Online Safety Guide for parents and carers covers some of the key online safety issues for young people and includes a range of practical tips and advice on what to do if things go wrong. You can also find a list of important services that can offer extra support.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources/online-safety-book

Let’s talk apps…

There are a number of popular apps and websites that young people are engaging with more prevalently.  There’s certainly some benefits to these apps for young people, but also some concerning trends being reported in relation to grooming and child exploitation of young people.

It is so difficult to keep up, so here’s some information about the most popular apps for young people in 2023.

Some of the common apps you might be aware of:

Tiktok (formerly Music.ly) is a social media app for creating and sharing short videos. Users can create and share short lip-sync, comedy and talent videos of 3 to 15 seconds. Users can also create short looping videos up to 60 seconds long. Tiktok is fun and engaging but it’s important to know that the app has limited privacy controls which make users vulnerable to cyberbullying and explicit content.

Snapchat is a messaging app that lets users send images, videos or instant text messages to friends. These images, videos and messages are only available for a short period of time once they are opened. Users can also use filters on images and upload photo and video stories that last for 24 hours before they disappear. Businesses and organisations can create their own channels. Content posted to Snapchat is not as temporary as it may appear, as users can save chats or screenshot them without the sender knowing. Adult content can also be accessed in the app. 

BeReal is a photo sharing app where friends are prompted to share a photo at a different set time each day. The goal of the app is to keep the user experience "real" - users don't know when they'll be prompted to take a photo and are not given time to prepare for it.

Instagram is used to share photos, videos and messages. With features like Stories, Feed, Live, Instagram TV, and messaging, teens use Instagram to celebrate big milestones, share everyday moments, keep in touch with friends and family, follow their favourite celebrities, build communities of support and meet others who share their passions and interests. By design, the app capitalises on users' biological drive for social belonging—and nudges them to keep on scrolling. 

Less common apps gaining popularity amongst young people:

Kik is a messaging app that allows anyone to contact and direct message the user, sometimes anonymously. Children may use Kik to circumvent traditional text messaging features, and the app provides users with unlimited access to others.

Wizz is a social media platform that connects strangers with common interests and allows users to send message, photos, and videos to other individuals or in groups. It has a glitchy age verification system that can connect minors and adults on the app. Catfishing, grooming, and online sexual exploitation of minors are documented concerns relating to this app.

Wink is marketed as a friend finding app. It connects with Snapchat, shows users Snap profiles of other users, and allows users to connect with them or swipe away to the next Snap profile. It has a similar user experience as Tinder. Fundamentally, Wink touts to connect users with strangers. Once they’ve exchanged Snap info inside of Wink, the rest of the conversation happens in Snapchat. There is a reward feature that is designed to hook users. The app has limited safety and security, and there are concerns about the app being a tool used for grooming and child exploitation.

Omegle is a video chat website that pairs anonymous users for one-on-one conversations, often leading to unpredictable and potentially unsafe interactions between adults and minors.

Calculator% is one of several secret apps used to hide photos, videos, files, and browser history. Young people are more prevalently using this app to hide other apps on their devices.

Discord is a social chat platform commonly used by online gamers that is available on computers and mobile devices, and accessible via a web browser. It lets users create a profile and interact with other users via online messaging, voice or video chat. Because users may share images on text channels or engage in voice chat, young users run the risk of exposure to inappropriate content or language.

Reddit is a social news aggregation and discussion site where you can share stories, links, images and videos, send messages and group chat. Topics and interests are organised into communities, which you can follow, comment on and vote on posts to increase their visibility. Reddit is a site made by and for adults, and as such, there’s a vast amount of inappropriate content. While there is some moderation, the sheer volume of content means that almost anything can be found, including pornography and violent material.

For further information on Social Media apps and access, please click on the below links:

esafety: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/are-they-old-enough

Reach Out: https://parents.au.reachout.com/skills-to-build/wellbeing/social-media-and-teenagers

Raising Children:https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/entertainment-technology/digital-life/social-media#social-media-benefits-nav-title

Emily Flanigan - Social Worker

Liz Smith - Student Counsellor