Apps your parents should know about
Similar to the Yik Yak app for college students, high school students are now using “After School.” Created as an alternative to Facebook and Instagram, the After School app allows teens to post comments and images on message boards associated with individual high school campuses without identifying the students who write a post. Users are anonymous.
Although designed as a safe space for teens to discuss sensitive issues, After School has been used in some cases to post threats and sexting photos, bully others, and, in the rare case, promote criminal activity. Most parents and school officials are unaware of the new app or how to monitor its content.
Cory Levy, 24, one of the app’s founders, said After School gives teens a chance to “express themselves without worrying about any backlash or any repercussions.” He said the app is a new way for teens to ask difficult or uncomfortable questions anonymously and to more directly address issues such as depression, how to come out as gay to one’s parents or how to navigate the daily challenges of teen life.
As in all things digital, be diligent about your online presence – the information you post and comments you make. Yik Yak, After School and other social media platforms are meant to benefit its users, but there’s always someone who misuses and abuses these apps.
