Cyber Safety in the News

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200 groups push Senate to vote on Kids Online Safety Act in 2024

NBC News, December 6, 2023

More than 200 organizations sent a letter urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to schedule a vote on the Kids Online Safety Act first thing in January when Congress reconvenes. The bill known as KOSA, which was reintroduced in May 2023, seeks to create liability, or a “duty of care,” for apps and online platforms that recommend content to minors that can negatively affect their mental health. The measures in the bill could affect social media sites like Facebook or messaging apps like Discord.

 

Digital Distractions in Class Linked to Lower Academic Performance

Education Week, December 8, 2023

A majority of teenagers in the United States reported becoming distracted when using digital devices in class, and it has some correlation with their academic performance, according to results from the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment. The PISA questionnaire, which is administered to 15-year-olds every three years, asked students how often they were distracted by using digital devices during their lessons and how often they were distracted by other students as well. About two-thirds of U.S. students reported that they get distracted by using digital devices, and about 54 percent said they get distracted by other students as well. We hear from students and teachers every day how distracting these devices can be in the classroom.

 

Teens’ Social Media Use Remains High: What Can Parents Do?

Psychology Today, December 12, 2023

Social media use among teens is as high as ever, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center. Conducted between September 26 and October 23, 2023, the survey finds that nearly one in five teens use YouTube or TikTok “almost constantly.” Over 50% of teens are daily users of YouTube (71 percent), TikTok (58 percent), and Snapchat (51 percent). Various states have passed or proposed parental consent laws for the use of social media, and a proposal to ban TikTok continues to gain bipartisan support in Congress. Yet teens remain undeterred in their devotion to time spent on their favorite platforms.

 

Cheating Fears Over Chatbots Were Overblown, New Research Suggests

The New York Times, December 13, 2023

According to new research from Stanford University, the popularization of A.I. chatbots has not boosted overall cheating rates in schools. While there was a panic from schools when students first started using ChatGPT, the data suggests that those concerns may be unfounded by many in higher education.


Students say their New York school’s cellphone ban helped improve their mental health

CBS News, December 13, 2023

Ebony Clark, assistant principal at Newburgh Free Academy, says banning phones has helped cut down on online bullying. “All I’m doing is giving them the opportunity to engage in school and leave the drama outside these doors,” Clark said. A student named Monique May is happy about the school’s decision. She disclosed she sometimes felt bullied or isolated after looking at social media and that phone and social media use was entirely to blame for her mental health struggles in the past. May said she’s experienced improvements in her mental health because of Newburgh’s phone restrictions. “I’m more confident in who I am,” May said. “And I think that just comes from not being able to worry about what other people are saying about me. Just being me.”

Cyber Safety in the News

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Teens exploited by fake nudes illustrate threat of unregulated Artificial Intelligence

Axios, November 3, 2023

A phone, a few photos, and artificial intelligence have stirred controversy and shattered the privacy of several teens at a New Jersey high school after they learned that nude images of them – created via AI – were circulated in group chats. This incident is a poignant example of the threats that come with the unregulated and expanding artificial intelligence access. This is an issue that all school districts are grappling with as the omnipresence of technology — including artificial intelligence — impacts students’ lives. Given the ease of use and access to AI, this will certainly not be the last incident of this nature reported.

 

A Meta engineer saw his own child face harassment on Instagram. Now, he’s testifying before Congress

AP News, November 7, 2023

“I appear before you today as a dad with firsthand experience of a child who received unwanted sexual advances on Instagram,” Arturo Béjar told a panel of U.S. senators. He is known for his expertise on curbing online harassment and used his position at Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to recount his own daughter’s troubling experiences with Instagram to Mark Zuckerberg. “I can safely say that Meta’s executives knew the harm that teenagers were experiencing, that there were things that they could do that are very doable and that they chose not to do them,” Béjar told The Associated Press. This, he said, makes it clear that “we can’t trust them with our children.”

 

Omegle Shuts Down as Founder Acknowledges Crime on Video Chat Site

The New York Times, November 9, 2023

Omegle, the popular website and app that paired random users through video chat, has shut down after its founder acknowledged persistent criminal activity and critics said that it had become a haven for pedophilia and child sexual abuse. In the past, we have often made parents aware of the dangers associated with this site. The end of Omegle comes as lawmakers and law enforcement agencies continue to examine the role of technology and social media in the explosion of online child sex abuse in recent years.

 

Opinion: Schools should ban smartphones. Parents should help.

Washington Post, November 25, 2023

We hear every day from individual schools and school districts that are trying to crack down on smartphones. Some schools have  required their students to store the devices in backpacks or lockers during classes, or to place them in magnetic locking pouches. In 2024, these efforts should go even further: Impose an outright ban on bringing cellphones to school, which parents should welcome and support. In educational settings, smartphones have an almost entirely negative impact: Educators and students alike note they can fuel cyberbullying and stifle meaningful in-person interaction.

 

Cyber Safety: Shop smarter by avoiding online scams

ABC57 News, November 27, 2023

It is easy to feel confident thinking it would never happen to you, but the reality is that with over $2.7 billion lost in online scams just between 2021-2023, everyone is at risk of falling victim to scams. Online scams are becoming more difficult to spot as scammers use new technology to their advantage. Learning about current scams is always a great reminder as the holiday season approaches.

 

Cyber Safety in the News

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Want to raise happy, successful kids? ‘Wait as long as possible’ to give them a phone, says Yale expert

CNBC, October 23, 2023

How old should a child be before getting their first cell phone? It is a question we get asked all the time by parents. According to Yale University psychology professor Laurie Santos there is only one correct answer: “Wait as long as possible.” She goes on to say “I think the more we can hold off on giving kids technology — the longer, the better,” She backs up her claims with studies that show too much screentime is likely to encourage poor mental health in children.

Is Social Media Addictive? Here’s What the Science Says

New York Times, October 25, 2023

Experts who study internet use say that the magnetic allure of social media makes it so that consumers find it hard to turn away from the incoming stream of information. David Greenfield, a psychologist and founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction said the devices lure users with some powerful tactics, just like a slot machine. As with a slot machine, users are beckoned with lights and sounds but, even more powerful, information and rewards tailored to a user’s interests and tastes. Young people are particularly at risk, because the brain regions that are involved in resisting temptation and reward are not nearly as developed in children and teenagers as in adults.

Parents urged to delete their kids’ social media accounts ahead of possible Israeli hostage videos

CNN Business, October 12, 2023

Schools in Israel, the UK and the US are advising parents to delete their children’s social media apps over concerns that Hamas militants will broadcast or disseminate disturbing videos of hostages who have been seized this month. Parents have voiced their concerns: “We cannot allow our kids to watch this stuff. It is also difficult, furthermore – impossible – to contain all this content on social media.” This is a good reminder that parents need to be always aware of the content on their children’s screens.

41 states sue Meta, claiming Instagram and Facebook are addictive and harmful to kids

Washington Post, October 24, 2023

The federal lawsuit alleges that the company engaged in a “scheme to exploit young users for profit” by misleading users about its safety features and the prevalence of harmful content on its products, harvesting data from younger users and violating federal laws on children’s privacy. We have long been concerned about these social media apps violations against COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act. The lawsuit seeks a variety of remedies, including substantial civil penalties.

Michigan teen’s suicide highlights growing dangers of online sextortion plots

ABC News, October 20, 2023

Jordan DeMay was a typical and outgoing 17-year-old who his friends and family say made everyone’s life brighter. But last year, after the Upper Peninsula Michigan high school homecoming king received a message from an Instagram account that appeared to be a teenage girl, he wound up going down a dark road that within only six hours would end with him taking his own life. “Impact x Nightline” takes a look at Jordan’s death and the growing sextortion scams targeting teens around the country in a new episode now streaming on Hulu. We recommend viewing this episode with your middle and high school students.

New York State takes steps to protect children online

ABC News Buffalo, October 11, 2023

 New York elected leaders have come together to announce two new bills to protect children online. According to the governor’s office, recent research has shown the mental health impacts associated with children and young adults’ excessive social media use which includes increased rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. The two New York State bills are titled Bill #1: Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act and Bill #2: The New York Child Data Protection Act.

 

Cyber Safety in the News

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Nigeria hands over two suspects in sextortion case linked to suicide of Michigan high school athlete

In a rare move, two Nigerian men were extradited to the U.S. to face charges in a sexual extortion scheme that authorities say prompted the suicide last year of a 17-year-old Michigan high school student. “Here was three Nigerian men that conspired from across the planet and came into my house in the middle of night while I was sleeping, and murdered my son,” his father John DeMay told NBC News in May. In most cases, families of sextortion victims never see justice served.

 

Finding the right technology balance for your kids

The goal is to make sure our children are not tech illiterate, but also not tech saturated. In other words, how do we find the proper amount of exposure to technology to make sure our kids aren’t overwhelmed by it? This article gives great ideas for creating healthy technology habits in your home, and ones you can begin from an early age. One of the best habits we recommend is to designate specific areas of your home as tech-free zones, such as the dining table or children’s bedrooms.

 

NYC principal threatens to suspend students who follow specific Instagram accounts

A New York City principal issued an unusual threat this week: All students who follow anonymous social media accounts connected to the school community could face suspension and lose out on a recommendation letter for college or work. This is an attempt to curb many of the anonymous confession type pages that are posting “horrifying content” including “graphic and direct threats to specific children with bullying comments,” which can be the source of many student behavior issues.

 

Top Parental Concerns? Screen Time and Social Media

This comes as no surprise to many: As kids head back to school, many parents are worried about technology use. Specifically, the use of screen time, social media, internet safety and the effects on student’s mental health. One of the solutions mentioned is technology safety education for students and we couldn’t agree more!

 

Being 13: What it’s like to be a teenage girl in the digital age

If you have teenagers, this is a must read!  This article gives a great in depth feel for what it’s like to be 13 in the age of social media, as the journalist worked with 3 teenage girls for over a year’s time, studying their social media habits. The article includes links to more information about how social media affects the teenage brain, and advice to create healthy phone habits.

 

UK’s Online Safety Bill finally passed by parliament

In their effort to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online, Britain’s long-awaited Online Safety Bill has been agreed by parliament and will soon become law, setting tougher standards for social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. The bill will be focused on child protection and the removal of illegal content from popular platforms. It will also be expected to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content like pornography by enforcing age limits and age-checking measures.

Cyber Safety in the News

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Instagram’s new feature protects users from unwanted images and videos in DMs

Instagram is launching a new feature that is designed to better protect users from unwanted images and videos in direct messages. Instagram says with these new restrictions, people will no longer receive unwanted images or videos from users they don’t follow, nor will strangers be able to message them repeatedly. This is a great step to protect the many students who use social media from predators.

Professors have an assignment: Prevent ChatGPT chaos in the fall

AI chatbots have triggered a panic among educators, who are flooding listservs, webinars, and professional conferences to figure out how to deal with the technology. Many educators are using AI in their classrooms for the first time this year to help lesson plan, create assignments and further help students with special needs or English as a second language. They are also possibly encountering students using ChatGPT within their assignments for the first time.

New law entitles child social media influencers to a percentage of earnings: ‘It’s kind of a new world’

Illinois is the first state in the U.S. to ensure child social media influencers are compensated for their work. Besides coordinated dances and funny toddler comments, online family vlogs nowadays may share intimate details of their children’s lives like grades, potty training, illnesses, and misbehaviors for countless strangers to view. Now, those children will be paid for it.

China wants to limit minors to no more than two hours a day on their phones

China is proposing new measures to curb the amount of time that kids and teens can spend on their phones, as the country takes aim at internet addiction and tries to cultivate “good morality” among minors. It would restrict daily screen time to a maximum of two hours a day, depending on the age group. It is interesting to see what other countries are doing to combat screen time issues amongst minors as the US works to create legislation to tackle the same issues.

Parents Are Using Apple Airtags To Keep Track Of Their Kids, And To Hopefully Give Them More Freedom

Many parents and caregivers have recently turned to tracking devices to keep tabs on children old enough to wander away but too young for a phone. Trackers are being placed in backpacks, on bikes, or directly on kids for extra accuracy, and some parents sew them into jackets as an ever-increasing paranoia settles over our kids’ safety. So innovative!

Officials share school safety tips before posting photos of your child online

When it comes to your back-to-school pictures, law enforcement advises parents to not disclose their child’s information online. Keeping these tips in mind as you post can help eliminate predators from knowing personal information about your child and avoiding contact with them.

Cyber Safety in the News

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So your tween wants a smartphone? Read this first

Your tween wants a smartphone very badly. And they’re giving you many reasons why. Before you hand one over to your child, make sure they are ready, as we find it is much harder to take the device away after the child has experienced it. Many industry experts agree: delay, delay, delay.

Threads Becomes Most Rapidly Downloaded App, Raising Twitter’s Ire

Instagram’s new app was downloaded more than 30 million times in 16 hours. Twitter threatened legal action against its rival. Time will tell whether Threads will become one of the social media apps that teens and tweens continue to use daily.

Evidence of social media’s harm is abundant

Social media screen time contributes to ongoing feelings of anxiety, depression, irritability, and an increase in impulsive behavior. Students who use their screens too much are often sadder and lonelier. The average time spent on a smartphone is more than seven hours a day. When we speak with parents, teachers, principals, and teens, we often hear about social media’s particular harm within the schools.

Personalized chatbot tutors will likely revolutionize traditional education and benefit students

The future is bright as AI revolutionizes education. Berkeley professor and leading AI expert Stuart Russell speculates that as technology evolves, it could revolutionize traditional education with ChatGPT-style personalized tutors. “Education is the biggest benefit that we can look for in the next few years,” Russell told the Guardian of AI’s potential impact on education. “It ought to be possible within a few years to be delivering a pretty high quality of education to every child in the world. That’s potentially transformative.”

Child predators are using Discord, a popular app among teens, for sextortion and abductions

The popular app Discord has a dark side. In hidden communities and chat rooms, adults have used the platform to groom children before abducting them, to trade child sexual exploitation material (CSAM) and to extort minors whom they trick into sending nude images. Experts have suggested that Discord’s young user base, decentralized structure, and multimedia communication tools, along with its recent growth in popularity, have made it a particularly attractive location for people looking to exploit children.

Get Phones Out of Schools Now

Experts often agree that smartphones in the classroom impede learning, stunt relationships, and lessen belonging. Many educators say they should be banned from schools. We are noticing an increase in schools making policies to ban phones during classroom use throughout the school day.

More than 2,000 families suing social media companies over kids’ mental health

More than 350 lawsuits are expected to move forward this year against TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Roblox and Meta – the parent company to Instagram and Facebook. Experts often debate whether this is a technology issue, or a parenting issue and it will be interesting to see if a precedent is set once these lawsuits are decided.

 

 

Cyber Safety In The News

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As part of the Cyber Safety Consulting mission, we want to bring you as much current information as possible. To that end, we have pulled together a compilation of news articles over the past month. One may catch your interest, two, or maybe all of them. Take a look and we hope this helps!

For the full article, click the headline and you will be taken to the original article.

The Best Parental Control Apps to Manage Screen Time (And Keep Your Kid Safer Online)

We often recommend parental controls apps during our presentations. Parental controls allow adults to set limits on their child’s app access and overall phone usage, and they serve as “training wheels” to help kids and teens build healthy tech habits. Keep in mind – parental control apps are not perfect – they simply help parents do a better job of parenting around technology.

His Son, 17, Was Sextortion Victim, Then Died by Suicide. Now, S.C. Dad Protects Other Kids from Same Fate

Unfortunately, we are hearing stories like this one all too often. We consistently warn teenagers about the dangers of online sextortion schemes. According to the FBI, they are the fastest growing crime on the Internet. While these stories are very tragic, teenagers need to not only understand the risks they face, but they need to hear the examples of HOW those risks come at them online in order to better protect themselves.

It’s time to put kids’ online safety ahead of Big Tech profits

According to recent CDC data, teenagers are reporting record levels of sadness, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) aims to protect and empower young people against the toxic content driven at them by black box algorithms and will hold Big Tech accountable.

The Kids Online Safety Act is Still a Danger to Our Rights Online

While The Kids Online Safety Act is a step in the right direction with many positives, this article raises the privacy concerns regarding the newly proposed legislation. Who would control all of this new personal information and how can we protect it?

The Best Smartwatches and Phones for Kids

If parents don’t want to give their child an adult smartphone but do want them to have a way to communicate as they become more independent, there are definitely options and we love to share these alternatives with parents.

Surgeon General Issues New Advisory About Effects Social Media Use Has on Youth Mental Health

We applaud Surgeon General Murthy and the awareness he brings to children’s online and social media safety.  He has stated “The most common question parents ask me is, ‘is social media safe for my kids?’. The answer is that we don’t have enough evidence to say it’s safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health,”

‘Shemy’ Schembechler and accountability in the Twitter age

We warn students that people will judge and make assumptions about your character based on your social media presence. In a very real sense, what you endorse on social media captures what you are willing to broadcast about yourself to the world regarding who you are and what you believe. Unfortunately, some people have had to learn that lesson the hard way.

Cyber Safety in the News

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As part of the Cyber Safety Consulting mission, we want to bring you as much current information as possible. To that end, we have pulled together a compilation of news articles over the past month. One may catch your interest, two, or maybe all of them. Take a look and we hope this helps!

For the full article, click the headline and you will be taken to the original article.

ChatGPT poses challenges for educators

New York Times

ChatGPT continues to be a challenge for educators. Universities are aiming to educate students about the new Artificial Intelligence tools available online. The University at Buffalo in New York and Furman University in Greenville, S.C., said they planned to embed a discussion of A.I. tools into required courses that teach entering or freshman students about concepts such as academic integrity.

Teens and Pornography – 2022 Report by Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media

The results of this research confirm a very important point: It’s time for us to talk about pornography. We need to consider conversations with teens about pornography the same way we think of conversations about sex, social media, drug and alcohol use, and more. That said, pornography isn’t for kids, and work must be done to ensure they do not encounter it accidentally.

White Supremacy is growing in online gaming communities

Fast Company

The new Anti-Defamation League (ADL) study highlights the increasing presence of extremism and toxicity within games such as ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘World of Warcraft.’ “White supremacists and extremists are pushing their ideas into the mainstream across society, including online games,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in a statement. “We know that what starts online doesn’t always end online—it can have deadly consequences in our communities.”

Poison pill: How fentanyl purchased on Snapchat killed a 17-year-old

Washington Post

An alarming number of fentanyl deaths are now caused by what officials call “hot” pills — tablets made to look like prescription medicine, but which instead contain potentially lethal amounts of fentanyl. These can be easily purchased using social media for anyone with a credit card, Cash App, Venmo or PayPal account.  Alarmed drug enforcement officials ramped up their warnings that “One Pill Can Kill,” a campaign to alert the public that the illicit drug market, boosted by easy access to online dealers, was flooded with pills that seemed harmless but were often deadly.

Jonathan Haidt on the ‘National Crisis’ of Gen Z

Wall Street Journal

Warped by social media and a victimhood culture, today’s young people will imperil American culture and capitalism, he warns. To hear social psychologist Jonathan Haidt tell it, today’s generation gap has widened into a chasm. “We have a whole generation that’s doing terribly,” he says in an interview and calls it a “national crisis.”

Map: Here are the states that have banned TikTok on government devices

Yahoo News

Kentucky, North Carolina, and Wisconsin this week became the latest states to ban the popular China-based video sharing mobile app TikTok from government-issued devices. They join the federal government and 25 state governments to make such a move.  FBI director Chris Wray expressed concerns that China’s government could use the app owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance to exploit Americans’ user data for espionage operations and to control their mobile device software.

THE OCCULUS QUEST 2: A PARENT’S GUIDE TO THE HOTTEST NEW TOY

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What was the hottest gift this year on tweens and teens holiday wish list? As usual, technology related gifts were high in demand and many of my children’s friends asked for and received the Oculus Quest 2 Virtual Reality Headset. As a mother of three boys (ages 8-13), I sought more information on this new […]

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TikTok Challenges and Safety Settings

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TikTok, have you heard of it? Without question, this was the top-ranking app in 2020, with good reason. According to Forbes, the social media platform, used for creating, sharing and viewing short videos, had 850 million downloads in 2020. As the pandemic set in and lockdowns were put in place, TikTok grew exponentially in popularity.

Taking a closer look at this craze over the last year, there are so many areas in which to dive deeper. First of all, if you are wondering what this app even is, start here: TikTok Safety: What You Need to Know will provide you with a basic overview of the app.

Personally, I spent more hours than I care to admit, scrolling through my TikTok feed. While I am not creating TikToks, I do love to watch them, and it is amazing how 10 minutes can quickly turn into hours passively viewing TikToks. Watching other people dance, regardless of ability, brings a smile to my face.

If you think this is a platform designed for Generation Z or even Millennials, you are mistaken. While these groups dominate the app, there are no age limits to those enjoying the fun to be had. Everyone from Grandma to the baby of the house is dancing, telling jokes, and generating memes. Additionally, you might find a single person grooving to a song from the 90’s or an entire family performing a choregraphed dance right there in the family room. There is no single age group, race, or gender cranking out the videos; that is one of the great beauties of TikTok. All are welcome.

While many users create their own original content, trends and challenges have taken root and lived a rich life from TikTok. A challenge starts with a single video that turns into a widely followed (going viral) and replicated video. The videos can be anything from a dance to a comedy bit or a simple quote. Some of these trends are positive and entertaining, while others can be negative or dangerous.

Looking at a positive example, the Dreams Challenge breathed new life into Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit single “Dreams”, which most Gen Z’ers had never even listen to. Credit Nathan Apodaca, an Idaho potato worker, for making a TikTok in which he rides his long board, sips Ocean Spray Cranberry juice, and lip-syncs the hit single. The unsuspecting video went viral with 72 million views and 12 million likes. It even got Stevie Nicks (of Fleetwood Mac) to lace up her roller skates and participate in her own TikTok, not to mention getting the hit back on Billboard’s top 10.

You can also find dance challenges where users replicate the same dance to a single song. People dance alone for the camera, with friends, and as a family, no skill needed! Several of the more popular challenges over the past year include “The Renegade”, “Blinding Lights”, and “Savage”. Even LeBron James and family joined in the fun with a TikTok made for the Can’t Touch This (MC Hammer) Challenge. Regardless of creating the videos or simply viewing in the feed, these provided hours of fun and connection for people during the Pandemic.

Another positive that came out of the last year of TikTok, and provides a lifeline for many, is the ‘I had pasta tonight’ phrase which is code for someone who is experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts.  It gives Gen Z’ers a way to subtly reach out to the community for help and support. When someone posts this, the community jumps into action by flooding the struggling user’s account with thousands of likes and positive comments of support and reasons to live.  The message sent is ‘life is worth living and the community wants you here’. I wonder how many lives have been saved in this way!

As with everything, where there is good, there can be bad in the form of offensive, dangerous, or negative challenges. Many of these challenges start as pranks but then go viral and problems result. Take, for example, the Skull Breaker Challenge. This challenge originated in Spain when two kids recorded the stunt, posted and it went viral. What is it? Think back to when we were kids, and someone pulls a desk chair out when another student is in the process of sitting. Similarly, in this situation, three people stand in a line taking turns jumping up, however, the person in the middle does not know that the two others will kick his legs out from under him with the intent for the unknowing participant to fall backwards. While this may have started as a harmless prank, there have been instances of serious brain injury resulting.

Another challenge that started innocently but has the possibility of going bad is the Silhouette Challenge. Users start by creating a video that is innocent in nature. As the music changes, a second video is added that is has a filter, changing the appearance of the user into a silhouette. The idea is that the silhouette encourages a more comfortable way for the user to show off a provocative pose, sexy lingerie, or even less. With the filter, the user is appropriately obscured from view. The problem arose when another user started posting videos on how to peel back the filter, exposing the original user in ways never intended. The videos quickly transitioned from fun to life altering, damaging videos.

In a year that has been filled with isolation, boredom, stress, and anxiety, TikTok has provided many positives to life. Clearly, the platform is very social in nature and has truly been open to every type of person regardless of interest, age, and ability to dance like Mariah Carey. It has provided connection for many and more importantly, connection for many that had very few avenues to find others. And finally, it has offered countless hours of entertainment to the young, the old and everyone in between. But like all apps, it comes with its risks and dangers. Moderation, balance, and knowledge are key to helping kids maximize the benefits and minimize the risks to social media apps like TikTok.