Every week e-safety adviser Alan Mackenzie sends me weekly updates. They are useful teaching resources but also parent guides to keep you up to date with current trends.
Here are a few tips from this week’s updates:
App – Red Note
With the possible demise of TikTok in the U.S. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) are trying to entice TikTok users onto their platforms, other apps are trying to move in on the popularity. One such app which appears to have come out of nowhere is Red Note. Like TikTok it comes from China and is in the top 10 charts in the UK.
It’s difficult to know how popular this will be or whether it’s just a fad, after all the potential ban is in the U.S. However, many of the influencers that children and young people follow are (or were) on TikTok, they have had to move to other apps, so their fans will follow.
If you would like to see an article on Red Note, my colleague Wayne Denner has written ‘is RedNote App the Next TikTok?’ which you can find HERE.
What is Doomscrolling?
Doomscrolling is where someone gets caught in a continuous cycle of negativity and fits in perfectly with algorithmic literacy above. Whilst doomscrolling is often intentional, it can also be a result of the decisions the algorithm makes and being led down a rabbit hole of doom. This can have ongoing effects such as anxiety and other negative effects on wellbeing.
Internet Matters has a great article about doomscrolling, including things to look out for and advice for parents. You can find the article HERE.
