Woodstock Police Spread Awareness About Phone App Safety Among Children

Friday, 16 August 2019 at 14:01

Woodstock Police are letting parents know about some of the phone apps their children are using, and that they should be aware of. Some of these apps include Whatsapp, Snapchat and Bumble.

WOODSTOCK - Woodstock Police are making sure parents are aware of the apps their children are using on their phones.

They shared a post from the Ontario Network of Victim Service Providers on their Facebook this morning.

Community Service Officer Shaylyn Jackson says online predators and scammers are among the negative activity children could be exposed to.

"We're finding that more and more often parents aren't familiar with the apps that their children are using and if the parents aren't familiar with the apps they're using it becomes increasingly risky because we know that with social media there are ways to connect with all kinds of people around the world, which can be a great thing if used appropriately. However, kids often don't have the capacity to understand the dangers of communicating with people that they don't actually know."

In a Facebook post, the Woodstock Police says although there are many apps that can be used positively, it's important to know the risks they present and talk to your kids about online safety.

She says parents should sit down with their kids and have their child teach them how the apps work.

Jackson says they should educate themselves more on what they are too.

"Read up on the app right in The App Store and Google Play Store where you download these apps, it gives you a full description of what the app does. So looking into that, doing some research online, just learning what the apps are being used for by teens and kids nowadays and just getting an overall feel for what it does."

She adds parents could link their account to their children's to monitor their activity and see what they're up to.

Some of these apps include Whatsapp, Snapchat and Bumble.