New App Aims to Protect Children on Social Media

A new Swedish app is designed to give children and parents practical help with some of the most common risks of social media, including cyberbullying, appearance-based harassment and hacked accounts.

The Integrity Protection Authority, known as IMY, has released FantomApp as a child-focused tool. It includes step-by-step guides for blocking people and types of content, changing settings to prevent unwanted contact, and finding support after online abuse, fraud or a hacked account.

The app was developed in France by IMY’s counterpart, the National Commission for Informatics and Liberties, or CNIL. IMY translated and adapted it for Swedish users with EU funding. Children aged 10 to 15 helped develop the original app so it could match the needs and language of its target audience.

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We know that many parents are worried and think about how they can protect their children on social media. We also know that there are fairly simple things that can be done to increase children’s awareness and reduce their exposure on social media.

IMY department head Malin Blixt said many parents worry about protecting their children online, while relatively simple actions can increase children’s awareness and reduce their exposure to harm. She said FantomApp could also provide an opening for conversations that families sometimes avoid.

Users can test whether a password is secure, anonymize images by blurring parts of them, check how much information their profile reveals and adjust privacy settings. Blixt said several functions could also be useful in games, and suggested the app might eventually expand beyond social media.

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Many times, people may avoid that discussion, but here they have an opportunity to have a conversation about it.