After School, Kids Use “After School” to Cyberbully Each Other Anonymously
After School, Kids Use “After School” to Cyberbully Each Other Anonymously
When the last bell of the day rings, many high-school-age kids grab their smart phones and launch the After School app, which takes them to a place its developers call, “a positive and safe place to share and connect with other students in their high school,” using video, pictures, and text. Unfortunately, after the software identifies a user through their Facebook account and the school they attend, their interactions are anonymous, opening the door to cyberbullying, posting inappropriate pictures, giving out personally identifying information, and other types of inappropriate content.
There have already been issues with the app – the creators were forced to remove it from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store shortly after it was launched, due to complaints about child safety. With assurances of increased security, the app was relaunched in April of last year. Instead of calming those with concerns, the complaints have grown, not only due to user anonymity, but also because the site can’t be accessed by parents or teachers.
Earlier this year, technology website Make Use Of (MUO), listed 5 reasons kids shouldn’t use After School: Bullying, Out of the Reach of Teachers, Age/School Verification, Personal Details, and Impersonation. In the comments section of the article, the most recent comment is from a parent whose daughter used the app, had received a lewd proposal that was publicly viewable, and it had received 23 likes.
The After School website says “we are passionate about helping young people and are continuously improving the service we provide. Security and the safety of the millions of teens who use After School is our top priority.” It’s obvious that security and safety aren’t a top priority – if they were, company admins would require personal identification and let parents and teachers see the content. Otherwise, it’s Reddit for kids.
