Archive Is Sendit Safe for Kids? What Parents Need to Know
smiling teen using Sendit on smartphone

Everything about Sendit: What Parents Should Be Aware Of

MahsaV

MahsaV

Table of contents:

    Has your kid been using Sendit on Snapchat and/or Instagram? Are you concerned if Sendit is safe for your kid? Kick back and read on, because we’re here to give you answers.

    In this article, you will find what Sendit is, how it works, and if it’s safe for kids. Read the sections below to get an all-around idea about Sendit and its possible dangers for your child.

     

    What Are Sendit & Its Features?

    Sendit is a companion app specially designed for Snapchat, and more recently also for Instagram users. Companion (or add-on) apps don’t work on their own, but cling to major third-party apps and work through them. In Sendit’s case, it hangs onto these two social media apps for the user to be able to:

    1. Send anonymous messages
    2. Play augmented reality games

     

    Sendit anonymous messaging screenshot

     

    Anonymous Messaging

    Sendit encourages users to share question boxes with their followers, asking questions and receiving anonymous answers. Sendit questions, which are highly popular among Snapchat and Instagram users, do create a few issues, to say the least. To say that not everybody uses it with good intentions would be a huge understatement. Experience shows that people tend to get crueler, even nasty when they send anonymous feedback. Unfortunately, some people may feel free to insult and abuse others this way, provided there wouldn’t be any consequences for them. And that is precisely what Sendit allows them to do.

     

    Augmented Reality Games

    Sendit owes part of its popularity among teens and tweens to its augmented reality games. These are games that combine your actual surroundings with digital components (game visual and audio content), creating a semi-cartoonish environment – “Smash or Pass”, “Roast Me” and “Rate Me” to name a few. But the truth is there are other add-on apps that offer your child with such games, without the risks Sendit imposes on them.

     

    Potential Threats on Sendit

    Some of the most common dangers on Sendit include:

     

    Cyberbullying

    Cyberbullies use every chance they get to hurt others online. But whether Sendit actually means to make things easier for these monsters or not is irrelevant: people continue to get bullied and harassed due to its anonymity feature.

    But Sendit is in fact making a profit out of this. By paying around $12 a week, it gives you “hints” as to who your cyberbullies might be. So even if you pay this considerable amount of money for such a short period, you might still not recognize who’s bullying you online. And the bullies usually get away with what they’ve done, without having their identities revealed by Sendit.

    The alarming fact is how popular Sendit is among underage kids. Children as young as twelve are downloading and using Sendit on their phones. Its widespread use among twelve to fourteen-year-old kids must be a serious cause for concern. Many parents find their younger teens asking to use Sendit due to peer pressure. And when they actually try it, many get anonymous abusive messages from their peers instead of communicating with their friends.

    After quite a few complaints from parents around the world, however, Sendit has finally added the options to block and report unwanted senders.

     

    Sexting

    Some Sendit users might try to initiate anonymous sexting with young people. A predator may target your child’s Instagram or Snapchat account and start to sext them via Sendit. Even if the sender is also a child, this is still extremely problematic. Twelve is way too young an age for a child to start sexting, let alone on an anonymous app.

    As a parent, you need to talk to your kids and keep them away from such situations. Their first sexual experience shouldn’t be with someone they don’t even know. They can decide to try that when they become adults, not as younger teens and tweens.

     

    Overspending to Get Hints

    Even though Sendit is anonymous, it claims to show you hints to find out your senders’ identity, albeit not free. It costs you around $12 a week to find out who’s sending them messages. Therefore, you have to watch out for this. Your child might end up spending large sums of money just to know who’s flirting with or bullying them.

     

    Privacy Issues

    As an add-on app, Sendit builds up on Snapchat and Instagram’s privacy policies. That is why Sendit has created two separate apps for Snapchat and Instagram.

    Third-party apps like Sendit have to use the Snap Kit to be able to work on Snapchat. This way, Snapchat makes sure these third-party apps can’t access certain private information. Snapchat’s Terms of Service only allow Snapchatters to use these types of add-on apps. However, even though it now uses encryptions on sent photos and videos, Snapchat itself is not completely safe and private. So whatever privacy issues Snapchat and Instagram might have, Sendit adds to the trouble.

     

    Age Rating: Is the Sendit App Safe for Kids?

    Sendit has a 12+ rating on App Store, and a teen rating on Play Store. However, it can’t really be recommended to children under seventeen, because of all the harm it can cause. To be honest, Snapchat and Instagram might not be that suitable for young teens either.

    According to Common Sense Media, parents think Snapchat and Instagram are only appropriate for children 14 and above. Kids don’t share the same view though; they believe children above 12 are old enough to use them. Common Sense itself suggests 16+ and 15+ respectively as the right age to use them. If your child is too young to be on either platform, the same goes for Sendit as well.

    According to Common Sense‘s Sendit app review, the Sendit app is safe for kids of 17 years old and above. We suggest parents take Common Sense’s advice and not allow their young teens and tweens to use it. That’s because it can significantly jeopardize their child’s safety on social media.

     

    Conclusion

    There are so many apps out there that, just like Sendit, aren’t safe for children. It can take quite a lot of time and effort to ensure that your child isn’t on any of these harmful apps. The Safes parental control app can make this process a whole lot easier. With Safes, you can check to see whether your child is using any inappropriate apps or visiting dangerous websites. Plus, you can restrict their access to Sendit and any other harmful apps. Join us in creating a safer digital world for your child! Kickstart your digital parenting journey with Safes’ free trial. Sign up today to explore advanced parental control features that extend across all digital aspects. Get started now to protect your loved ones in the digital world!

    These apps can seem harmless at first, but they can have adverse effects on children in the long run. Nothing in this world is more important than children’s safety and well-being. So it’s better to be safe than sorry.

    MahsaV

    MahsaV

    At auctor lacus fusce enim id tempor etiam amet. Et consequat amet eu nulla nunc est massa dui consequat. Facilisi adipiscing nec condimentum sit laoreet non turpis aenean in. Aliquam cursus elementum mollis sed accumsan nisl ullamcorper in.

    Want to know more about digital parenting?

    Our newsletter is your go-to source for staying updated with the latest information on parenting and online child safety. Subscribe to our once a week must have tips, to simplify parenting in the digital age. Read the editor’s top pick of the week to ensure a safe online experience for your child.

    More from Our Blog

    A collage depicting the theme of mindfulness in children, featuring a variety of images such as kids meditating.
    Mindfulness in children can only be practiced with fun and effective exercises. We have introduced 5 best practices to help your kids be more mindful!
    Rana Mazahernasab

    Rana Mazahernasab

    How to teach someone to ride a bike can be a challenging process for parents. Read this blog for tips to get you started. 
    Mohammad

    Mohammad

    A collage depicting the theme of checking browsing history through router, featuring a variety of images such as the wi-fi signal
    Here, you’ll learn how to check browsing history on wifi router. You’ll also discover a better way to monitor your child’s online activities.
    Rana Mazahernasab

    Rana Mazahernasab

    A collage depicting the theme of activities in spring, featuring a variety of images such as child playing on bicycle.
    Do not miss a moment in these long days! Learn how to make the most out of this season by doing fun activities in spring with your children.
    Rana Mazahernasab

    Rana Mazahernasab

    Get Weekly Parenting Must-Knows in Your Inbox

    Deepen your parenting knowledge with our tips and tricks. Receive our editor’s top picks in your inbox once a week—no spam guaranteed.

    Download Safes Kids for Chrombook

    1. Install the Safes Kids app on your Chromebook from Google Play. 
    2. Pair Safes Kids with parent app. Follow the instructions in the app to pair your child’s device with your parent device.  
    3. Add the Safe Kids Chrome extension. Open Chrome and go to the Chrome Web Store. 
    4. Navigate to the Manage extensions page. Click the three dots in the top right corner of Chrome and select “Extensions”>”Manage Extensions”>”Details”
    5. Turn on “Allow in incognito mode” This will allow the Safe Kids extension to work in incognito mode, which is important if your child uses incognito mode to try to bypass the parental controls.
    6. Select Safes extension and follow on-screen instruction

    Download Safes Kids for Android

    Download the Android Kid’s app directly to get the full features!

    Download Safes Kids App on Play Store

    Download Safes Kids App on Safes.so

    Safe Kids is available on the Google Play Store, but if you download it directly from our website, you will get access to Call and SMS monitoring feature, You can monitor the phone calls of your child’s device, as well as the contacts and messages they have sent and received, including those containing inappropriate content.