Disclaimer: The goal of Conquer with Na’Kole is to provide education and support for moms (and concerned loved ones) as they conquer the giants that seek to conquer their children. I, Na’Kole Watson, am not a licensed mental health professional nor am I offering professional mental health services or advice. Therefore, I accept no liability or responsibility to anyone as a result of any reliance upon the information produced on this site or in any communication issued by Na’Kole Watson and Conquer with Na’Kole. The views expressed on this and any other affiliated website are my own, and all sources are linked. If you are in crisis, please contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. If this is an emergency, please dial 911 immediately
Happy Sunday!
There is a lot happening in these social media streets, and I wanted to make sure you knew all about it! I’m going to break things down by app, so feel free to skip to the app(s) you’re most interested in!
TikTok
The Devious/Divious Licks Challenge
Earlier this week, I told you about the “Devious Licks” challenge. Depending on who posted the videos, it may say “divious licks” instead of “devious licks”. This is a challenge where students go into school bathrooms and tear them apart. Nothing is off-limits. Toilets are being removed, soap dispensers destroyed, you name it.
Several schools have been making announcements about this, and several of my parents are reporting that it has happened at their schools. If you hear your child talking about “hitting a lick”, that’s more than likely what they’re talking about.
TikTok has done a great job of removing most of the videos, but if you search “divious ick” on the app, you may be able to find some remnants of what the kids have been doing.
Here are some articles about it:
- The ‘devious licks’ TikTok challenge has students stealing toilets and vandalizing bathrooms – CNN
- Florida teens arrested after taking part in ‘devious lick’ TikTok challenge, sheriff says – WESH/WFLA
- ‘Devious licks’ videos of damage, thefts bedevil US schools – AP
TikTok Maker in China Caps Screentime for Users Under 14
This is going to be interesting. According to reports, kids in China who are under the age of 14 will only be able to use “Douyin”, the Chinese version of TikTok, for 40 minutes per day when “youth mode” is activated. It will be similar to see if the United States version of the app rolls out something similar with its parental controls.
Article:
Watch Out for the “Beaning” Trend
Children these days… right? So there’s a new trend happening called the “beaning” trend that has kids spilling the beans right at other folks’ doorsteps. Literally. Cans of beans all over the doorstep.
This trend was popular back in the summer, but it seems to be making a comeback. It appears that the trend is happening mostly in England, but keep it on your radar in case it makes a comeback in the states.
Articles:
- A TikTok trend called ‘beaning,’ where users pour canned beans on doorsteps, has reportedly led to police warnings about young people buying ‘large quantities of cans of beans’ – Insider
- TikTok beaning trend: Kids covering cars with baked beans around London – My London News
Facebook/Instagram
Instagram is Causing Depression and Body Image Issues in Teen Girls… and Facebook has Known About it for YEARS. (allegedly)
This one here? Yikes. The Wall Street Journal did a huge article about how Facebook has known for at least two years that Instagram has caused (and is causing) lots of mental health challenges for young people.
Young girls are reporting feeling worse about their bodies because of influencer culture. They are always worried about getting enough likes and how many followers they have. It’s a problem.
When you have some time, please read what The Wall Street Journal uncovered. The actual article is behind a paywall, but you know I’m going to give you the workaround! I’ve read the article by the WSJ and it is a doozy for sure.
Here are some articles that provide great insight into the WSJ article:
- Instagram is even worse than we thought for kids. What do we do about it? – The Washington Post
- Wall Street Journal’s Facebook Files series prompts comparisons to Big Tobacco – CNN
To be fair, here is what Facebook has said in response:
“Safety Mode” Will Auto-Block Users Who Are Harassing Others
Twitter has rolled out a new technology that will analyze the content of tweets and the relationship between the author and the replier so that it can decide if harassment is taking place.
If the software finds that harassment has taken place or that insulting language has been used, the account of the harassing person will be automatically blocked for 7 days.
You can read about it on Twitter’s blog here: Introducing Safety Mode
Snapchat
Buckle your safety belt for this one.
Soooo…
Teenagers on Snapchat made a “slave trade” group and pretended to “auction off Black classmates”.
In 2021.
You know I have opinions for days about this, but I’ll spare you today. Most importantly, I’m sharing this with you so that you can talk to your child about what is and is not appropriate, and make sure that you have a good idea of what’s going on in these digital streets these days.
You can read more about the “slave trade group” here:
Snapchat Hired is First Global Head of Platform Safety
This is a good move! As the government tightens its grip on the tech giants when it comes to safety, Snapchat has decided to prioritize safety on its platform.
If you have taken my Cyber-Safe Experience Class (formerly “Cyber Safe Summer”, available here for $37), you know all about Snapchat and its safety flaws (disappearing messages, geolocators, etc) and how important it is to keep your children from literally slipping through the cracks of Snapchat’s privacy holes.
I’m happy to see that Snapchat plans to deep dive into safety. You can read more about the hiring move here: EXCLUSIVE Snap Inc hires first global head of platform safety – Reuters
Roblox
August Totals Reveal 48 Million Daily Users
Children (and adults alike) LOVE Roblox, and rightfully so. I have it on my phone and sometimes I play it with the kids in my life. It’s tons of fun. Just remember that with 48 million daily users, your child or a child you know is likely using it – which comes with its own unique set of safety concerns.
Article: Roblox Reported 48 Million Daily Active Users This August – GameSpot
There are “Strip Clubs” on Roblox
No, seriously. There are strip clubs on Roblox.
Article: Inside the Underground Strip-Club Scene on Kid-Friendly Gaming Site Roblox
Roblox is Working to Introduce Voice Chat into the Experience
As you may know, tech companies are racing to build a “metaverse” which is a 3D virtual universe. Roblox is working on integrating voice chat so that you can talk to the people you’re on a server with right in the app. This is a great thing as long as it is done safely.
Read more here: Voice Chat is Coming to Roblox – TechCrunch
Wrapping It Up
As you can see, there is A WHOLE LOT happening. It is my goal to always bring you a roundup of things that I believe are most important to you as a parent. If I missed anything, or if you have any questions, please let me know!
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Let’s Conquer Together!
Na’Kole
Na'Kole Watson