App Guide
App Name App Symbol Description
BBM
Age 13+. The BlackBerry Messenger (BBM)
app allows you to share messages and
images. It also allows you to make free calls
anywhere around the world.
Instagram
Age 13+. Instagram is a picture and video
sharing app. Users can post content and use
hashtags to share experiences, thoughts or
memories with an online community. You can
follow your friends, family, celebrities and
companies on Instagram. Instagram also has a
direct messaging facility allowing users to
share messages via private or group chats.
Facebook
Age 13+. Facebook is a social network, which
lets you create a page about yourself. You can
add friends, share pictures and videos, write
on people’s pages, send instant messages and
join online groups.
Facebook
Messenger
Age 13+. Facebook Messenger is an app
which allows users to communicate with their
friends from either their Facebook account or
their phonebook. Users can instant message,
create group chats, share photos and videos,
record voice messages, have live video chats,
or simply talk to their friends and family.
ooVoo
Age 13+. ooVoo is a video chat app. It lets you
make video calls, voice calls and send texts to
friends and family. You can also start a group
video chat with up to 12 people. The default
privacy settings are set to 'public', so you can
talk to people you don't know, but they can be
changed so that you can just talk to your
friends.
Google+
Age 13+. Google+ is a space where you can
share photos and videos, instant message or
make video-calls. The site allows you to create
'circles' of contacts, so you can share different
types of content with your different networks. It
has a 'Hangout' section, where you can use
your webcam to have meetings, group
discussions or group catch-ups.
Pinterest
Pinterest is an online interactive pin board.
You can create collections of pin boards using
your own images and you can also re-pin
things from other people.
Snapchat
For age 13+, Snapchat is an app that lets you
send a photo or short video to your friends.
The ‘snap’ appears on screen for a matter of
seconds before disappearing. There’s also a
feature called Snapchat Story that lets you
share lots of snaps in a sequence for up to 24
hours.
YouTube
Age 13+, YouTube is a place to watch, create
and share videos. Videos can include things
like music, animation, online blogs and clips
from TV shows. You can create your own
YouTube account, create a music playlist, and
even create your own channel, which means
you will have a public profile, and it allows you
to comment on videos and create video
playlists.
Twitter
Age 13+. Twitter is a messaging service that
lets you post public messages called tweets.
These can be up to 140 characters long. As
well as tweets, you can send private
messages. Brands and companies can also
have Twitter accounts.
Ask.fm
Age 13+. Ask.fm is a social networking site
where you can ask other people questions. It’s
up to you whether you want to ask the
question anonymously or not.
Viber
Age 13+. Viber is a computer program and
app which lets you text, call, share photos and
send video messages to people worldwide.
Kik
Age 13+. Kik is an instant messaging app. It
lets you create your own username and
message others without using your mobile
number. You can share photos, organise
events, share games, news and anything of
interest to you from the internet.
Flickr
Age 13+. Flickr is an online photo sharing
site. You can share your own pictures and
follow other people.
Chat and
Play
The app offers a virtual world that might be
appealing to children due to its cartoon-like
customisation. You can create your own avatar
as well stomising your own chatroom.
Skype
Age 13+. Skype allows you to make voice calls
over an internet connection. It also has a chat
function and allows the transmission of files
from one person to another.
Tumblr
Age 13+. Tumblr is a social networking site
that lets you share text, photos, quotes, links,
audio clips, slideshows and videos. And you
can customise your page and share other
people’s posts. You can also send private
messages.
Vine
Age 13+. Vine is a social networking app that
lets you share 6-second videos that play on a
loop. You can also repost videos created by
others and leave comments.
WeChat
Age 13+. WeChat is a voice and text
messaging app with location and Bluetooth
functionalities. WeChat allows you to contact
other people randomly if they’re in a similar
location or using certain functions of the app at
the same time.
Whatsapp
Age 13+. Free-of-charge, real-time messaging.
You can share images and videos, take part in
‘group chats’ and share locations. You can
only message someone if you already know
their telephone number.
Telegram
Age 13+. Telegram is an app available on both
mobile and desktops, allowing free and safe
messages for the sender. The app encrypts
messages and gives you the ability to destroy
them if unwanted.
TeamSpeak
Age 13+. This is a voice-over-Internet Protocol
(VoIP) app that is used primarily in the world of
online gaming between gamers playing multi-
player games. There are no restrictions about
who can chat to who.
Chatroulette
Chatroulette is a website which lets you talk to
another person anywhere in the world. When
you go onto the site, Chatroulette connects
you to someone at random. You can talk to
people via video or text.
Dattch
Aimed at over 18’s. Dattch aims to make it
easier for lesbians to avoid feeling isolated and
meet each other away from bars and clubs.
The app asks users to verify security by linking
it to their Facebook page. Dattch state their
network is not for under-18s, although it is
possible to claim a false age and bypass age
verification questions.
Down
Previously called ‘Bang with Friends’, Down is
an app that allows users to find which of their
Facebook friends are local and available to
meet up. Down openly acknowledges and
promotes that their community use their app
for sexual encounter, yet their policies don’t
restrict use to over-18s.
Grindr
Aimed at bisexual and gay men, this app uses
location and photos to encourage ‘like-minded’
meetings between strangers. Grindr introduces
users to ‘matches’ within the closest geo-
radius. Grindr is intended for over-18s, and
asks the user to verify their age when signing
up, however teens could use it regardless.
MeowChat
MeowChat’s distinctive look includes cartoon
cats and allows users to send texts, images or
audio clips. It encourages chatting with ‘like-
minded’ strangers based on the user’s location
at any time. MeowChat’s minimum sign up age
is 13, yet chatrooms can contain bad language
and invitations to private chats with strangers.
MyLOL
MyLOL is a ‘teen dating app’ aimed at 13-20
year olds. The network is moderated and key
word detection is in operation. Following recent
criticism, an upper age limit came into effect,
however it has been reported that those older
members with accounts registered before the
change still have active accounts.
Tinder
Users are ‘selected’ by other users as
someone they’d like to meet by swiping on
their photo. As it is location based, Tinder
introduces users to ‘matches’ within the closest
radius. Tinder’s minimum age is 13 as it uses
Facebook’s signup age policy.
VoiceCandy
The app allows users to record a short voice
clip and other users decide whether they want
to chat before they’re able to see a photo. If
users don’t find the person attractive once they
see their picture, they have 5 seconds to
change their mind. The minimum age for
signup is 13.
Whisper
Whisper is an anonymous messaging app
where users are encouraged to share stories
they wouldn’t want to put their name to.
Whisper includes a category whereby users
can search for ‘Meet Up’ – in this category
there can sexual images and messages.
Whisper is rated 17+ in the app store, but
many teens could use it regardless.
Yik Yak
Yik Yak is an anonymous messaging app that
allows its users to send text and photos to
others without using their name. Users can
choose to engage with the feeds of others
within a certain radius of themselves. Yik Yak
is aimed at 18 year olds, but teens could click
past the age verification and use it anyway.
Apps to help young people overcome chatting problems
Send This
Instead
The Send This Instead app has been
developed to help children combat sexting from
peers. The app gives a range of optional
images with humorous messages so that
children can send these as a response
to sexting, putting them back in control.
Zipit
Made by ChildLine, Zipit aims to help
teenagers deal with difficult sexting and flirting
situations. The app offers humorous
comebacks, advice, and aims to help
teenagers stay in control of flirting when
chatting.
Information has been taken from the following websites where further information can also
be found:
https://www.net-aware.org.uk/ - compiled by NSPCC and O2.
http://www.internetmatters.org/advice/apps-guide/
