Walkie Talkie App: Who is your Kid Talking to? (SmartSocial.com Guide for Parents & Educators)
What is the Walkie Talkie app?
- The app lets people communicate from any location, in the same style as a walkie talkie or two-way radio
- It only works using cellular data or a Wi-Fi connection
- This is a voice-only app. Images and videos cannot be shared
Learn more by reading our app guide: https://smartsocial.com/walkie-talkie-app/
How does the app work?
- Users can invite friends to chat on a specific channel or they can scroll through random channels by pushing the up or down arrows
- To join a channel, push the stop button until it says “connected”
- The number displayed on the top right shows how many people are tuned in to the channel at that moment
- To talk, a user presses on the speaker area of the screen
- The app must be open in order for the receiving person to hear a message (there are no notifications for Walkie Talkie)
Why do students like it?
- The app is free
- Teens can easily text a channel to friends or share a specific channel number on social media networks
- Students can leave the app on, on a predetermined channel, wherever they go (including school) and communicate with friends without texting or making a phone call
- Individuals or groups can chat on channels
What parents should know?
- Ads pop up while using the app, including advertisements for other apps unless you pay $3.99 to remove them
- Another in-app upgrade, available for $0.99, lets users change the Walkie Talkie color
- There is no way to make a channel private
- This means anyone can listen in on a conversation
- Users can also scroll through channels and try to find strangers to talk to
- There is no way to monitor a child’s conversation or who they are talking to unless you know what channel they are on and constantly listen in
- There is a risk of exposure to foul or lewd language since conversations are not moderated
What can parents do?
- Explain the dangers of talking with strangers and ask your child not to invite strangers to chat with them on a channel
- Remind your student to avoid giving out personal information or oversharing on the Walkie Talkie app
- Since anyone could be eavesdropping on a channel, encourage students to refrain from discussing things they don’t want anyone else to know
Learn social media safety from Smart Social's resources:
- Join our free newsletter for parents and educators: https://smartsocial.com/newsletter/
- Register for a free online Parent Night to learn the hidden safety features on popular apps: https://smartsocial.com/social-media-webinar/
- Become a Smart Social VIP (Very Informed Parents) Member and unlock 30+ workshops (learn online safety and how to Shine Online™): https://learn.smartsocial.com/
- Download the free Smart Social app: https://smartsocial.com/app
- Learn the top 100 popular teen apps: https://smartsocial.com/app-guide-parents-teachers/
- View the top parental control software: https://smartsocial.com/parental-control-software/
- Learn the latest Teen Slang, Emojis & Hashtags: https://smartsocial.com/teen-slang-emojis-hashtags-list/
- Get ideas for offline activities for your students: https://smartsocial.com/offline-activities-reduce-screentime/
- Get Educational Online Activity ideas for your students: https://smartsocial.com/offline-activities-reduce-screentime/
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