It seems like the whole world is crazy about the apps. Apps have made complicated tasks easy, keep us informed at a moment’s notice and even entertain us with party tricks. It makes us wonder - what did we do before apps? Teens love apps just as much as adults.
They can stay connected with friends, online shop and even do their homework. Apps are helpful but did you know that they can be harmful as well? There are malicious apps everywhere and your teens may be downloading them. What are the dangers of malicious apps? Here are three:
Apps Can Steal Your Information
Did you know that 1 in 6 people have the chance of downloading a malicious app infected with malware, viruses or other bad things? This statistic is scary. That means that your teen could have one of these malicious apps on their phone. Since teens are quick to download apps and skip through the permissions, they could be installing apps that are spying on them.
These apps can then access information on your phone, send and receive random text messages, send emails or access your social media profiles. You can see why this is bad. If you store personal or financial information on the phone that means that random hackers now have your information. They could use this to commit things like identity theft or medical identity theft. These things can ruin your child’s adult life before it even began.
Apps May Let People Know Your Location
Did you know that some apps are collecting data every time that they run on your phone? If your teenager accepts the permissions on an app that allows them to access the phones location through GPS, essentially the phone (and your child) can be tracked anywhere they go. It’s important to teach your kids app safety when downloading apps.
If there is information that is being requested in the permissions that shouldn’t apply to you using the app, then they shouldn’t download. They need to understand the importance of not disclosing their location to others. Some apps aren’t malicious but still ask to access the GPS. Have your kids talk to you before downloading these. Also, sites like Facebook and Twitter have privacy options where you can change the setting to not allow your location to be posted.
Apps Can Become Addicting
Screen time should be limited for kids. The American Academy of Pediatrics has set strict guidelines as to how much screen time is too much. With apps making it fun or easier to do things with their phones, it makes it that much easier to use their phones excessively. Many teens now are even becoming addicted to their phones and exhibiting the signs of addiction just like that of drugs or alcohol. Make sure that you set rules to phone time and enforce them to make sure that they aren’t using their phone too much.
You should still be aware of what your kids are looking at via apps or online. Monitoring them with a mobile tracking app such as Mobile Spy could be a way for you to check in from time to time, to make sure that apps aren’t getting your family into trouble.
