BeReal is the talk of the town and the latest buzz among the younger generation. It is a relatively new social media platform that tackles the issue of being unauthentic online, and encourages users to capture themselves in the moment, and as the name suggests, Be Real.
But what is BeReal?
The BeReal app sends a time sensitive notification to its users, allowing only 2 minutes to capture themselves and submit it for their friends to see. While it does promote the directive of being original and comfortable in one’s own skin, there are a multitude of issues that might concern a parent if your child is on BeReal.
So here are 5 THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IF YOUR TEEN IS ON BEREAL:
1. LOCATION SETTINGS
While posting a picture, the user has the option of either sharing their real time location, or not.
How to be Safe: Ensure that your child has location sharing turned off.
2. PRIVATE ACCOUNT
It is relatively easy to connect with strangers on this app. Users can send requests or look at your pictures if you post them publicly.
How to be Safe: Ensure that your kid does not have any strangers added to his/her friend list on BeReal and posts content on the private story setting, instead of the Discovery timeline. This is to make sure that the account is secure and private.
3. UNREGULATED CONTENT
While the app does encourage unfiltered pictures and originality, there are no restrictions to what can be posted. This can be a major drawback for the app as there can be a few obscene and unmoderated pictures that your child might come across while surfing the app.
How to be Safe: Make sure to report the pictures/accounts that you see unfit.
4. DIGITAL FOOTPRINT
Make your child understand the depths of the digital footprint. What goes on the internet once, always stays there. It is imperative for them to understand that whatever they post online is a reflection of who they are.
How to be Safe: It is important to guide them to leave behind a positive digital footprint.
5. ADDICTION
Like any other social media platform, the risk of addiction is present even in BeReal.
How to be Safe: Set up a definite screen time for your child to use the app.
The School Social encourages to use BeReal as it is not time consuming unlike other Social Media handles like Instagram and YouTube. Teenagers can use the saved time to read interesting and informational content on The School Social!