What do Yarn, Skout, and Holla have in common?
They’re all apps that could be on your child’s phone and they could pose risks.
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Law enforcement agencies in North Carolina have shared a list of phone apps every parent needs to know about in 2025. The list includes Calculator#, one of many secret apps to hide photos, videos and files.
"I want to direct you these calculator apps or at least that’s what they look like. In reality, it’s an app that allows users to hide videos, photos and documents, making it difficult for even the most in the know parents to monitor what their child does on a cellphone," digital parenting coach Elizabeth Milovidov said.
Other apps police warn parents about
- Snapchat - Allows you to send photos and videos that disappear on the app, although users can take a screenshot
- Instagram - Photo and video sharing, also has a disappearing message option
- WhatsApp - Worldwide messaging app
- Calculator# - One of many secret apps to hide photos, videos and files
- Roblox - Online gaming platform with chat features
- Best Secret Folder - Hides photos and videos, uses password protection, decoy videos and alarms
- MeetMe - A dating social media app
- Holla - Video chat app
- Skout - Location-based dating app and website
- Whisper - Anonymous social network where users share secrets with strangers
- Live Me - Live-streaming video app using geolocation to share videos. Users can find a person's exact location.
- Monkey - Live video chat app that connects users to random strangers worldwide.
- Kik - Messaging app allowing users to send direct messages.
- Yik Yak - An app that connects you with people around your location. It is an anonymous virtual bulletin board known for bullying.
- Wizz - Geared toward young kids for finding similar friends.
- AskFM - Encourages asking and answering anonymous questions. Common for cyberbullying.
- F3 - Location-based dating app.
- Bumble - Dating and networking app
- Tinder - Dating app
- Grindr - Dating app
- Badoo - Dating app
- Twitch - Live streaming app
- X - Social media
- Discord - Messaging and communication app
- Reddit - Messaging and communication app
"You want to teach your children how to behave when you’re not there. When you are not monitoring with them and when you’re not being their digital guardian, you want to give them strategies so that way when some kid comes up to them and says, Oh I just saw this,' they need to be able to say, 'Oh gosh no,'" Milovidov said.
Some services can help parents monitor their children's devices
Bark
A service that offers an app, watch and even a phone that will help monitor your child's texts, location and more. Starts at $14 per month for the app.
One parent describes this app as a "yappy dog barking to alert you of just about everything, even things that aren't really an issue." The parent noted that the app is great for text message and photo and video monitoring, but you need to have your child's phone synced up with the Bark app on your computer for those alerts to be sent to you.
Some positives about Bark: It checks text messages, photos and videos. While it monitors some social media apps, it doesn't cover all of the major ones. You can also set it to flag according to your preferences. It can flag bullying, sexual content, weapons, violence and even mental health concerns.
Some negatives about Bark: It can cause some anxiety if you are constantly seeing alerts for content that isn't an issue. It is sensitive so sometimes it does flag things that are not a problem. It also sends alerts after the fact - so you are finding out after the incident has occurred. It also does not monitor TikTok or SnapChat in iOS devices.
Canopy
This app can be described as a giant canopy that is basically protecting your child's device. It aims to prevent the issues before they happen. It allows you to control whether your child has access to individual apps. You can turn on and off access to apps and even turn their phone's internet access off during certain hours. It starts at $7.99 per month to monitor three devices.
Some positives about Canopy: It has good customization and you can turn off and on access to different apps. It also uses a VPN that filters everything through. It also has a feature that detects a potentially problematic photo and immediately prevents your child from accessing or sharing it until it is reviewed by you. You review the photo from your personal device and decide whether to allow it or delete it. If you delete it, Canopy will force the photo to be deleted from the child’s device.
Some negatives about Canopy: As with Bark, it can be overly cautious on some things and block content that isn't necessarily an issue for your child. Your child can send you requests though for a blocked website and you can grant permission for them to see it. The VPN can slow down the device times.
Free things you can do to keep your child safe online
- Use device settings to restrict content - Devices, including iOS and Android, have settings that allow you to restrict content, screentime and even how loud your child can make the sound.
- Set restrictions or controls on individual apps
- Control their app downloads - Make your child have to enter a password or get permission to download apps to their devices so you can review what they are adding
- Restrict web browsers or delete them from the devices
- Always know your child's passcode and passwords
- Link your social accounts to your child's and make sure you can login into their account whenever you want to to check on them
Another suggestion, make it known that you can take their devices at random times for review. Once you get the phone do these things:
- Swipe up to see all the apps that are open and they have been using recently
- Check all internet browser history
- Check photos and deleted photos folders
- Look for any odd apps that could be something else - like the Calculator# app mentioned above
- Open social media apps and look for DMs
- Check the For You pages on social apps because that can tell you a lot about the algorithm of what they search for and view.
The big takeaway from experts and parents is to keep an open dialogue with your child about online safety.