By Nick Leith | Posted: Wednesday March 16, 2016
Each newsletter we will investigate an app that students at Casebrook are being spotted with on their personal phones and devices.
As parents it's really hard to keep up with the info around all things new and exciting to 11-13 year old's in the 'app world'. Please take a couple of minutes to find out about the apps your kids are using and how they are using them...used correctly they can really useful and enjoyable, but often 11-13 year old's are not equipped with the social skills to make choices that protect themselves and their peers from harm or future consequences. The articles posted each newsletter will be quoted from the Common Sense Media website.
Kik Messenger:
Age - 17+
Parents need to know that Kik Messenger is an app-based alternative to standard texting as well as a social networking app for smartphones. It has some cool features but also some possible downsides for safety and privacy.
Kik should only be used by teens who can discern the difference between texting people individually, with groups, and within a social networking environment. This multi-feature tool is for older teens and adults who will use it to communicate with family and friends, to make use of the features on some of the other cool Kik-enabled apps (like the video camera, document share, sketchpad, and greeting cards), and who will not give out personal information to Kik users they don't know or indiscriminately pay for premium features on other Kik-enabled apps. Kik definitely adds a kick to "old-fashioned texting," but teens need some guidance on safety and privacy if they're going to use it.
Kik Messenger wasn't created with educational intent, and we don't recommend it for learning.