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Everyday there are new apps and sites our children flock to in droves in an effort to keep their social media activity away from the prying eyes of parents and other adults in their lives. This secrecy requires us to put forth an effort to stay current on our child’s social media and Internet activity. It’s essential that we understand what sites and apps they have downloaded. While most of us understand Facebook and Twitter, there are a variety of new apps on the market that our teens enjoy using. One relatively new app we need to examine is Burn Note.
Burn Note Defined
To put it simply, Burn Note is a disappearing app. This allows messages to “burn” away or be erased after the message has been read by the recipient. This application was originally developed for offices to help keep sensitive information from being viewed by other employees the content was never intended for. We need to keep it’s original purpose in mind when we realize that all Burn Notes, when gone, are gone forever.
What Parents Need To Be Aware Of
Parents should realize our kids are enjoying the freedom Burn Note offers. The disappearing feature promotes more authentic communication, ranging from planning Friday night to discussing secret crushes. It also relieves the pressure our sons and daughters feel about maintaining a stellar digital footprint. The disappearing qualities can protect a child from a running timeline of every comment and post that has the potential to be highly scrutinized by future employers, scholarship committees, and even the authorities.
Helping Children Use Burn Note Responsibly
On the other hand, this lack of accountability can encourage our kids to send inappropriate or bullying messages to others. The combination of normal teen development and no fears of being caught can lead our children to take risks and make questionable judgments. It is vital that we instill in our children an understanding of social media etiquette and the power words have in our lives.
For more information on Burn Note, please watch the following video created by TeenSafe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl3IYc5tFgQ
[clickToTweet tweet=”Teen Safety: Everything a parent needs to know about Burn Note. ” quote=”Teen Safety: Everything a parent needs to know about Burn Note. “]
Texas native, Hillary Smith relocated to Chicago, IL to attend Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She’s a freelance writer who combines a fascination with technology and gadgets to specialize in telecommunications. At her core, she’s a confirmed nerd who loves sports and all things parenting related.