If you were to pick up your teen’s phone and see the above icon, it wouldn’t raise your suspicions. It’s designed that way, to look innocent and practical. And while it can be used as a calculator, its actual purpose is to hide pictures and files from prying parental eyes. All the phone user has to do is enter a secret code to access whatever has been hidden from the regular photo app.
There are many similar apps available to download. I googled “Apps for Hiding Photos” and received quite an education. Some of the apps have more obvious names like Photo Vault or KeepSafe. Others have ambiguous names like KYMS or Fotox.
How can parents find out if their teens have hidden apps?
- Have full access to any electronic devices, which means either knowing passcodes and passwords or getting them upon request. Just the possibility of parents checking up on them will keep many teens from using phones for inappropriate activities.
- Take steps to insure apps can’t be downloaded without a password known only by the parents. Change the password occasionally.
- Monitor your teen’s phone or tablet. Occasionally ask about apps, especially new ones. Go to the App Store on an iPhone, Google Play on an Android, or Microsoft Store/Marketplace on a Windows phone and check out the purchased apps. If it says “Open,” that means it’s on the phone. If there’s a picture of a cloud with an arrow pointing down, it’s been downloaded but is no longer being used. If it says “Get,” it hasn’t been downloaded.
Some parents are afraid of invading their teen’s privacy by taking such steps. I like to ask if they’d allow their teen to have a stranger in the bedroom with the door closed. Allowing unmonitored use of any device with internet access carries the same risks. Wise parents will engage in a little privacy invasion to protect their teens.
And just FYI, most – if not all – smartphones come with built-in calculators. Real ones.
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