You probably never thought you’d see the day when Facebook wasn’t the center of teens’ universe. But keeping up with Facebook friends through ad-filled news feeds and lengthy profiles, especially given the fact that everyone knows your name, is starting to feel tiresome to many teens.

Facebook is still a go-to place for many things, such as wishing someone a happy birthday or stalking a crush. However, newer social apps make it easier, faster, and more fun to capture and share fleeting moments — sometimes anonymously. These temporary and anonymous-messaging apps provide an environment that feels more appropriate to the random, silly, saucy, and experimental sides of the average teenager.

Perhaps most importantly to teens, these apps can feel consequence-free. But, of course, they’re not. Data never really disappears, and anonymity carries big risks. If you don’t recognize the apps your kid is currently obsessing over, here’s what you need to know:

Temporary Messaging Apps

Temporary apps allow people to send messages and images that self-destruct after a set window of time. Teens can use these apps to more carefully manage their digital trails — so long as they don’t share things they wouldn’t normally send otherwise.

Snapchat: A messaging app that lets users put a time limit on the pictures and videos they send before they disappear.

Why it’s popular: Snapchat‘s creators intended the app’s fleeting images to be a way for teens to share fun, light moments without the risk of having them go public. And that’s what most teens use it for: sending goofy or embarrassing photos to one another. Teens may pay more attention to Snapchats, knowing they’ll disappear in a matter of seconds.

What parents need to know:

• It’s not true that Snapchats go away forever. Data is data: Whenever anything is sent online, it never truly goes away. (For example, the person on the receiving end can easily take a screenshot of the image before it disappears.) Snapchats can even be recovered — unaffiliated third-party services such as Snapsaved (which was recently hacked) give users the chance to save any Snapchatted pic.
• It can make sexting seem OK. The seemingly risk-free messaging might encourage users to share pictures containing inappropriate content.

Burn Note: A messaging app that erases messages after a set period of time. It’s limited to text; users can’t send pictures or video.

Why it’s popular: Its text-only platform, plus its unique display system that reveals only one word at a time, make it feel more secretive than similar apps.

What parents need to know:

• It promises complete delete. Kids may feel tempted to reveal more than they would otherwise, since Burn Note‘s developers claim it deletes every copy of the message (except from screenshots, which they also try to prevent).
• Anyone can receive a Burn Note. If you don’t have the app, you’ll get a link to a Burn Notemessage. So even if your kid has no interest in reading supposedly super secret messages, she could unwittingly get involved.
• It could encourage cyberbullying. Since there is no record that a conversation took place, kids might feel they can get away with disrespectful behavior.

Slingshot: Facebook’s answer to Snapchat. The twist is that before you can view a photo or video you’ve received, you’ll have to send the sender a shot of your own. After you’ve viewed it, the shot disappears.

Why it’s popular: The video or photo options paired with the ability to type or draw on the shots create an easy way to share brief moments and fun, creative messages.

What parents need to know:

• Although the app comes from Facebook, you’re not required to have a Facebook account to use it; you can send and receive shots with people who aren’t your Facebook friends.
• Anyone who knows your teen’s phone number or Slingshot username can send photos and videos to your teen. Users register for the app with their Facebook account or a mobile phone number, and the app will search your contacts for friends who have the app.
• Unless you decline use of location services, your city, date, and time will appear each time you send anything from Slingshot.

LINE: A multifaceted text, video, and voice-messaging app that also integrates social media elements such as games and group chats.

Why it’s popular: Teens are drawn to LINE not only because it’s a bit of an all-in-one mobile hub but also because it offers a lot of of teen-friendly elements, such as a selection of over 10,000 stickers and wacky emoticons, as well as LINE Play, an avatar-based social network. The free texting and video calls don’t hurt, either.

What parents need to know:

• LINE includes a feature called “Hidden Chat,” which is similar to Snapchat‘s disappearing messages but with a few more options. Users can choose how long they’d like their message to last before it vanishes: two seconds or up to a week. These messages also can include location information, pics, and video. Though LINE states that its servers are secure, as withSnapchat you can’t be too careful.
• In-app purchases are a big part of the LINE experience: Want to use that set of super-cute cat emojis? It’ll cost you. Paying for games and other features within LINE can add up, and to keep communication free, the recipient also must be a LINE user, meaning your friends have to sign up as well.
• LINE‘s terms of use state that “minors” need parental permission before signing up, but there’s no process in place to monitor or track that information.

Anonymous Messaging Apps

On the positive side, going incognito online helps us express ourselves in ways we might not be able to in the real world. On the negative side, anonymous apps are often riddled with inappropriate content. They also can encourage bullying behavior.

Whisper: A social “confessional” app that allows users to post whatever’s on their minds. Users type a confession, add a background image, and share it with the Whisper community. It’s intended for users age 17 and older.

Why it’s popular: There’s something to be said about sharing one’s innermost thoughts without any repercussions, especially if they’re not socially acceptable: It’s cathartic. For those who simply choose to browse, Whisper can be amusing, heartbreaking, troubling, and comforting all at once.

What parents need to know:

• The scenarios can be hard to stomach. Reading that a teacher has fantasies about his or her students or that someone’s father is going to be released from jail and start a custody battle can weigh heavily on teens. Some confessions, however, are totally benign (and funny!).
• There is plenty of inappropriate content. All too often, Whispers are sexual. Some useWhisper to solicit others for sex (using the app’s geo-location “nearby” feature). Strong language and drug and alcohol references also are prevalent (for example, “My wife and I were both high on our wedding day” and “I dropped acid with my mom once”).
• Whispers can go public. Entertainment news sites, such as BuzzFeed, are beginning to feature Whispers. The problem? When secrets — including the embellished or fake ones — become news, we may begin to find ourselves in tabloid territory.

Ask.fm: A social site that lets kids ask questions and answer those posted by other users — sometimes anonymously.

Why it’s popular: Although there are some friendly interactions on Ask.fm — Q&As about favorite foods or crushes, for example — there are lots of mean comments and some creepy sexual posts. This iffy content is part of the site’s appeal for teens.

What parents need to know:

• Bullying is a major concern. The British news website MailOnline reported that the site has been linked to the suicides of several teens. Talk to your teens about cyberbullying and how anonymity can encourage mean behavior.
• Anonymous answers are optional. Users can decide whether to allow anonymous posts and can remove their answers from streaming to decrease their profile’s visibility. If teens do use the site, they’d be best turning off anonymous answers and keeping themselves out of the live stream.
• Q&As can appear on Facebook. Syncing with Facebook means that a much wider audience can see those Q&As’ behavior.

Omegle: An anonymous chat client through which users discuss anything they’d like. Its conversations are filled with lewd language and references to sexual content, drugs and alcohol, and violence.

Why it’s popular: Online chat rooms have been around for ages, as have the iffy and inappropriate conversations that happen in them. Though there are many misconceptions about “online predators,” it’s true that risky online relationships — though rare — more frequently evolve in chat rooms when teens willingly seek out or engage in sexual conversation.

What parents need to know:

• Users get paired up with strangers. That’s the whole premise of the app. The app has been implicated in cases of sexual predators on teens. And there’s no registration required.
• This is not an app for kids and teens. Omegle is filled with people searching for sexual chat. Some prefer to do so live. Others offer links to porn websites.
• Language is a big issue. And since the chats are anonymous, they’re often much more explicit than those with someone who can be identified.

Cloaq: An anonymous posting site that doesn’t collect any personal information and assigns random usernames. Users can post text and pictures and comment on content from sites such as Buzzfeed and Mashable.

Why it’s popular: Cloaq is gaining traction because its community is relatively supportive of its own members. Some users claim that they “hold themselves to a higher standard.”

What parents need to know:

• As with any anonymous posting site or app, there are risks: People behave differently when their identities are protected, and they may be emboldened to say things they wouldn’t otherwise.
• Posts are sometimes personal, sometimes philosophical, and sometimes just chatty, but language is the most frequent iffy content in the main feed.
• Despite the developer’s claims that no information is collected or kept, there are no guarantees, so it’s critical that kids understand that nothing written online or in an app is ever really anonymous, as it’s always linked to the device they’re using.

The best way to approach these apps with your kids? Talk to them about their online reputations — not in terms of “getting caught” by teachers, college admissions officers, or future employers but as a matter of being true to themselves. Acknowledge that, chances are, they’ll come across extreme, inappropriate, or hurtful content online … and that it’s OK for them to ask you about it, especially if it upsets them. These kinds of conversations will be far from fleeting — the benefits will last a lifetime.

TV Editor Polly Conway and Senior Apps Editor Christine Elgersma contributed to this article.

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This post was syndicated with permission to BonBon Break Media, LLC.

The post Snapchat and 7 More Iffy Messaging Apps Teens Love first appeared on BonBon Break.

Before baby, you were a Facebooking, Instagramming, texting fool, sharing everything from your perfect pasta dish to your hella-good manicure. Now, looking at your little bundle of joy, you may be wondering: Is it safe to post pictures of baby? What’s OK to share and what’s TMI? What are the easiest tech tools to preserve those precious moments, without broadcasting to the world? These tips can help.

Safely share photos of baby online. You may never have given privacy settings a thought. But if you’re posting pics of baby, you may want to think through the impact and potential trajectory of what you post. Maybe you have followers struggling with fertility who aren’t ready to share your joy. Maybe you’re connected to people you barely know — friends of friends of friends — and there’s no guarantee that those people will have your family’s best interests at heart. Stories about people’s kids’ photos falling into the wrong hands — for example, stock-photography brokers looking for baby pics to sell or Internet trolls misusing images — are a growing risk.

You basically have two options to share safely. You can enable stricter privacy settings on the social media services you’re already using, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. These services have the advantage of an existing, built-in audience, but there’s a greater possibility of photos being viewed (or copied, or downloaded) by people you don’t know. Or, you can sign up for a more secure, password-protected photo-sharing service such as Flickr, Photobucket, or Famipix. These let you be pickier about what you share with whom. But these sites sometimes charge a fee for premium services such as extra storage and prints.

Distinguish between friendly advice and real facts. As a new parent, you may be vulnerable, worried, or overwhelmed, and social media offers a lifeline. Just don’t believe anything people tell you without verifying it with a professional. (No, WebMD doesn’t count.) Anything that has major importance — feeding, health and safety, money, education — is not to be toyed with. Anything with minimal consequences, such as when to put baby in shoes or the best time to clip her nails (when she’s asleep), is OK to experiment with.

Avoid “over-sharenting.” What’s over-sharenting? Pictures of poop, constant updates on every smile, gurgle, and hallmark of intelligence, reports on what a naturally gifted mom you are. Other parents understand the urge to brag about every little thing, but social media is a give and take. Be thoughtful about what you’re sharing, why, and with whom. And make sure to comment, like, or otherwise interact with what friends and family post to keep it, you know, social.

Approach baby’s “digital footprint” mindfully. Some parents create social media profiles under their kids’ names when they’re babies with the idea that they’ll turn them over to the kids when they’re ready. It can be fun for relatives to get an update “from baby.” But there are some risks to creating what’s called a “digital footprint” for your baby. Here are some things to consider:

• You might love the photos of baby in the tub, but how will she feel about them when she’s 8 or 9?
• Tweens or teens might be upset that you used their names to create profiles they didn’t actually consent to.
• Social media sites are for users over 13 because companies use data — basically, who your friends are, what you click on, and where you go on the Web — to build a demographic profile, which they then sell to other companies for marketing purposes. The data isn’t personally identifiable, but it’s still Big Brotherish to think they’re tracking your baby’s online movements.

Bottom line: If you decide to create a profile, make sure you include only minimal information, use strict privacy settings, and avoid any photos that are potentially embarrassing.

Cope with feelings — jealousy, anger, sadness — from viewing friends’ Facebook pages. You’re not alone. The highly curated photos and posts from friends whose lives seem more fulfilling have been shown to make people feel sad, jealous, and angry.

It may help if you connect with others who really “get” you. Create separate groups for your online pals: Put your close friends — the ones who post their joys as well as their trials — in one group. Add the ones who tend to present a perfect image to a different group, and only look at them when you’re feeling up to it. You also can connect with the growing anti-perfection movement. Real Simple‘s public Instagram profile, #womenirl, shares photos from people’s real (messy) lives.

The bottom line is that the impact of social media isn’t fully understood, and it can trigger all sorts of responses. New parents are emotionally vulnerable because they’re tired, unsure, and perhaps suffering from postpartum depression. If you feel crappy more than you feel good, and sharing photos from your life doesn’t make you feel better, talk to a professional about what you’re going through.

Find real, meaningful online support. There are some really supportive online groups with active, engaged members.

• Circle of Moms: A large, active site brimming with hundreds of specialized communities that you can search for alphabetically.
• Café Mom: Conversation, advice, and original programming help you feel welcome right away.
• Work It, Mom: Working mothers can find support, learn from each other, and celebrate successes in this forum for those bringin’ home the bacon.
• BabyCenter: You’re bound to find support at this highly regarded site, which welcomes all kinds of families into its highly specialized groups, including one for alternative lifestyles called Parents Like You.
• Mothering: If you’re into natural, holistic parenting, Mothering is the place to find support. This site offers communities for all kinds of families — from single parents to LGBT parents.

Hey, dads need support, too! With the rising number of stay-at-home dads, online resources geared toward fathers have ballooned. Fatherly, National At-Home Dad Network, and New Dads Survival Guide all have supportive communities for new fathers.

Preserve memories digitally. By the time your baby is 3, you will have recorded approximately 1 billion hours of video, taken 300,000 photos, and thought of 1,000 things you wish you could say to her when she grows up. Fortunately, there are easy ways to collect all these memories into one, easily accessible location.

• Go low(ish) tech. A lot of parents like to grab the opportunity to create an email account under baby’s name. Once she has an email address, you can use it to send her messages, photos, and videos so they are all collected in one place and she can read them when she gets older — and take ownership of her email address.
• Consider an electronic scrapbook or journal. Scrapbooking sites and apps let you create digital diaries of baby’s life. Some families like this option because older kids can use the sites and apps, too. There’s a wide range of programs you can use.
• Sign up for a private social network. Apps such as Notabli, 23snaps, and eFamily offer a secure way to collect and share photos, videos, and stories and invite a small number of people who can view them.

Read this next:

• 14 Tools to Turn Game-Obsessed Kids into Genuine Game Designers
• 13 Celebrities Who Won’t Wreck Your Kid’s Body Image
• The 10 Best Kid-Friendly Minecraft Channels on YouTube
• 10 YouTube Stars Your Kid Loves
• Great Apps to Help with Homework

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