Apps to know about
Many apps on the old "apps parents should know about" handouts have shut down. This list covers the ones still running, what each one does now, and what you can do about it.
Five things to look for in any app
You don't need to memorize app names. New apps keep reusing the same features, and these are what make an app risky.
- Anonymous messagesNo names means no accountability, so bullying spreads.
- Chatting with strangersRandom matching and "meet new people" features.
- Live video and giftsStrangers can pay kids in virtual gifts to keep performing.
- Location sharingMaps and "nearby" filters can show where a child is.
- Hidden contentVault apps and locked folders made to hide things from parents.
Anonymous messaging
Messages arrive with no name attached. This kind of app has the longest history of bullying.
Tellonym
Kids share a link on Instagram or Snapchat and get anonymous questions and comments, which they can answer publicly. A paid tier gives hints about who sent a message.
What to doIf your child uses it, turn on the safety settings in the app and lock them with a protection code.
NGL
An "ask me anything" link, usually posted in an Instagram story. In 2024 the FTC banned it from serving anyone under 18 and fined it $5 million, after it sent teens fake messages to sell a paid subscription.
What to doA teen on NGL has given a false age. Talk about why they wanted it.
Live video and stranger chat
These put kids on camera with people they don't know. The main risks are sexual exploitation and sextortion. Several are websites, so they won't show up in a phone's app list: check the browser history too.
YouNow
Users broadcast live to viewers and invite guests into their stream. Viewers send paid gifts.
What to doAsk who watches their streams and whether anyone has sent them gifts.
LiveMe
Live streaming built around coins, virtual gifts and paid subscriptions. Its terms say users must be 18 or older, but there's no real age check.
What to doRemove it. Gifts from strangers to a child are a warning sign.
Bigo Live
A large streaming app where broadcasters earn money from viewers' gifts and climb rankings.
What to doAs with YouNow, ask who is watching and who is paying.
MeetMe
Finds people nearby to text, video chat and livestream with. In practice it works as a dating app.
What to doRemove it. It's built to connect your child with strangers close to home.
Monkey
Random video chat with strangers. Apple removed it from the App Store over safety concerns, but it's still on Google Play and the web.
What to doOn Android, block it in Google Family Link. On any device, check the browser.
HOLLA
Matches strangers around the world for video chat, with a "Nearby" filter that can help someone find a child.
What to doRemove it, and turn off location access for apps you don't recognize.
Chatroulette, ChatRad and iMeetzu
Random webcam chat sites in the style of Omegle, which shut down in 2023. ChatRad needs no account at all: press start and the camera comes on.
What to doBlock them with your internet provider's parental controls or the device's content filter.
FaceFlow and Fruzo
Browser sites for random video, voice and text chat with strangers, plus chat rooms. Fruzo's only age check is a checkbox.
What to doLook for them in the browser history, not the app list.
Social media and messaging
Most teens use these every day. The built-in teen protections only work if the account has your child's real birthday.
Accounts for under-18s are private by default, only get messages from people they follow, and are limited to roughly PG-13 content. Many teens still run a second, secret "finsta" account.
What to doLink your account through Supervision to set time limits and stricter content settings.
Snapchat
Photos and messages that usually vanish after they're viewed. Snap Map shows a user's location to friends, and "My Eyes Only" is a passcode-locked photo folder.
What to doSet up Family Center, and turn on Ghost Mode so Snap Map doesn't share their location.
TikTok
Short videos chosen by an algorithm that can surface mature content quickly.
What to doUse Family Pairing to link your accounts and set limits.
Discord
Chat servers built around games and interests, with text, voice and video. Since March 2026 every account starts in a teen-safe mode with filtered content and a separate inbox for messages from strangers. Unlocking adult content needs a face scan or ID.
What to doAsk which servers they're in and who they talk to privately.
Kik
A messaging app that needs only a username, not a phone number, so anyone who has the username can message your child.
What to doRemove it for younger teens. Strangers use it to find kids.
Wizz
Lets teens swipe through profiles and chat with strangers worldwide. Canada's child exploitation tipline has linked it to more than 180 reports, mostly sextortion of 15 to 17 year olds. It has no parental controls.
What to doRemove it.
Yubo
Once called "Tinder for teens." Since November 2025 it's for adults only, so a teen on Yubo is surrounded by adults.
What to doRemove it.
Reddit and Tumblr
Discussion and blogging sites with adult sections that teens can reach by entering an adult birthday.
What to doCheck the birthday on their account.
Adult sites and dating apps
These are made for adults. Teens find them through friends, memes or curiosity.
4chan
An anonymous image board with very little moderation, known for pornographic, violent and extremist posts.
What to doBlock it with a content filter. There are no accounts to supervise.
9GAG
A meme feed with light filtering, so crude and sexual posts are mixed in with ordinary jokes.
What to doAsk them what they've seen on it.
Bumble and Hot or Not
Dating apps for meeting people nearby. Teens sometimes sign up with a fake age.
What to doA dating app on a child's phone is a reason for a conversation.
Vault and diet apps
Finding a vault app is a reason to talk, not proof that your child has done something wrong.
Calculator vaults
Looks and works like a calculator until a secret code opens a hidden store of photos, videos and notes. Some have a second code that opens a harmless-looking decoy.
What to doSearch "vault" or "private photos" in the app store on their phone. If an app shows "Open" instead of "Get", it's installed.
Hide it Pro
A vault app that can disguise itself as a crashed app, a calculator or an "Audio Manager," and can hide other apps too.
What to doLook for two apps that do the same job, such as two calculators.
Fasting and diet trackers
Fasting and calorie-counting apps such as Vora can feed restrictive eating in teens.
What to doIf you're worried, talk to your child's doctor.
Shut down: you can stop worrying about these
These still show up on old handouts, but they've shut down or no longer work as described.
- WhisperShut down July 2025
- ASKfmShut down December 1, 2024
- TinychatClosed December 2024; the name is now a different chat site
- OmegleShut down 2023
- BlendrShut down October 31, 2022
- Wishbone, BYF, ShamChatNo longer available
- Burn Book, After SchoolRemoved from the App Store
Sources
- CyberTipline and Take It Down (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)
- FTC bars NGL from serving users under 18 (Boston Globe)
- Tellonym guide (Vodafone Digital Parenting)
- LiveMe review and What is the Monkey app? (Internet Matters)
- Wizz sextortion warning (CTV News)
- Yubo moves to 18+ (Yubo)
- Discord teen-by-default settings (Malwarebytes)
- Instagram PG-13 settings for teens (TechCrunch)
- Snapchat Family Center update (SecurityBrief)
- How vault apps hide content (WRDW)
- Whisper, Tinychat and Blendr (Wikipedia); ASKfm (Archive Team)
Last checked October 7, 2026. Apps change quickly, so we re-check this list every few months. Age ratings are the app stores' own. This page is general information. If you're worried about a child, see State numbers.