Live Streaming Apps: Should Your Child Use Them?

Launched in early 2015, live streaming apps like Meerkat and Periscope are quickly gaining popularity. The apps provide users with the opportunity to participate virtually in events across the globe; however, like many pieces of new, interactive technology, they also pose risks when placed in the hands of adolescents. Before you jump on board or rule them out completely, take a few minutes to learn more about the apps and determine whether or not they’re appropriate for your homeschool family.

How They Work
These live streaming apps for iOS and Android allow users to share and watch live videos while engaging with viewers who can like (Meerkat) or “heart” (Periscope) and comment on the stream. Both apps allow users to broadcast their live stream to their Twitter followers who can, in turn, choose to share the video with their own followers.

Differences
Content on Meerkat is always public, while Periscope permits users to invite specific individuals to their stream for more privacy. If location settings are turned on, Periscope users also have the ability to pin their exact physical location.

Dangers
The biggest dangers associated with these apps are personal privacy and safety. Even if location settings are disabled, comment fields make it easy for users to reveal personal information as their viewers ask questions. In addition, although both apps have community guidelines that encourage users to refrain from broadcasting inappropriate content, the risk of encountering such material online is always real.

The Bottom Line
The best way to decide whether live streaming apps could enhance your homeschool is to know and acknowledge your child’s level of maturity. The apps provide a way to connect with and learn from homeschoolers who live in different regions of the world. They also open an aspiring journalist’s eyes to current events as they unfold and provide a way for them to broadcast their own local news, yet the privilege to broadcast to the world comes with the responsibility to do so carefully. Use what you know about your child to determine whether live streaming is something your homeschooler can handle, something your family could participate in together, or something that is better left unexplored.

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