By Movieguide® Staff
Many of today’s most popular social media apps can be dangerous for young people. However, several alternate options for everything from TikTok to Roblox might be safer for your child.
“TikTok’s risks are well-documented and tough to fully lock down, even with privacy settings adjusted,” Bark wrote in a blog post, but, “Coverstar was designed to let kids create fun, lip-sync style videos similar to TikTok but with way more built in guardrails to keep them safer.”
Coverstar’s website emphasizes their commitment to “compliance and online safety,” listing features like a lack of private messaging, human and AI moderation, feeds that are designed to be age-appropriate and total transparency with users about Coverstar’s safety regulations.
Related: Gab Introduces Gab Clips, a TikTok Alternative
Going hand-in-hand with TikTok alternatives, Adobe Premiere Rush is a great substitute for video-editing app CapCut, which is owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance and is intended to funnel content directly to TikTok’s platform.
“If your kid is serious about video editing, Premiere Rush is actually a step up creatively — it’s a legitimate, professional-grade tool that teaches real skills,” Bark explained. “There’s no social media integration pushing kids toward risky platforms, and it keeps the focus on the craft itself.”
If you’re looking for an alternative to the popular photo-messaging app Snapchat, look no further than Locket Widget, an app that lets users share photos directly to friends and family members’ phone homescreens — with no public feed, no DMs and no location sharing.
Many children and teens enjoy using WhatsApp as a way to message friends, but it can be dangerous, as it has no age-verification, and users can be added to group chats by anyone who has their number.
Instead, try Messenger Kids, an app “designed for kids to connect with family and friends,” per their website.
“You manage your child’s experience on your Parent Dashboard, including choosing which features they can use and controlling their contact list,” the site continued, explaining that children can’t send or receive messages from users you haven’t personally approved.
Lastly, a surrogate for the wildly popular gaming platform Roblox — Minecraft.
“It gives kids nearly unlimited freedom to build, explore, and problem-solve,” Bark explained, adding, “There’s no open-world chat with strangers. Parents can also choose private servers where only approved players (think: family and trusted friends) are allowed. Kids still get the immersive gaming experience, but in a space that’s much easier to control and monitor.”
While there are many dangerous apps out there, software developers are working hard to create fun and safe alternatives for young people.
Read Next: What Parents Need to Know About Zigazoo, a New Kid-Focused Social Media App
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +3Share:
– Content: +4