4 Friday, February 3, 2017 brooklintowncrier.com Our Brooklin Kids By Leanne Brown 9 scary apps teens are using You know about Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but they aren't the only apps your teen may be using. Some of these might be putting your child in danger. Snapchat Snapchat allows you to post messages that only last for a few sec- onds once opened then supposedly go away. Teens use Snapchat for innocent picture-conversations with each other. But it's simple for anyone to grab a screenshot of the image before it's deleted and there's nothing to prevent someone from distributing them. Tinder Tinder allows you to meet new romantic partners, which probably isn't something you want your teen doing. With your profile, you see photos of potential romantic matches nearby. If two people like each other, then they can chat through the app and "hook up." The only way to get on the app is to have a Facebook account with a birth date indicating the user is over 18 years old though it's easy to set any birth date A child might meet adults on the app who could be predators, scammers, etc. Vine You record and share six-second videos. It gets dangerous when you realize teens will do almost anything because of peer pressure. The best way to get attention is to do something crazy. Last year, teens across the world were setting themselves on fire and posting it on Vine! So Vine released the Vine Kids app. With Vine Kids, you can't record videos; instead it has videos that are for younger audiences. Nice idea, but teenagers still use the real Vine app. Whisper This seems like a cyberbullying nightmare. Its purpose is to spread rumors and secrets. It lets users post pictures and text anonymously. The secrets are shared based on location so the users nearest to you are the ones likely to see your secret. 9Gag It distributes pictures online that are supposed to be funny. All kinds of pictures are shared and they aren't moderated. They can come from any source and contain images you don't want kids seeing. Some 9Gag users have been known to "swat" people, in other words getting the police to raid someone's house - for a laugh. Yo You install it, select a friend who also has the app installed and it sends them this message: "Yo." That's it. There are no other messages you can program and it doesn't do anything else. Teens use it because it's an untraceable way to let someone know it's time to do something - like a pre-arranged meeting with someone. Ask.fm Ask.fm lets you ask or answer questions from other users. Many questions are quite personal and anything you put on it is public. That means your child could be sharing personal information with the wrong people. Omegle It's slogan is "Talk to strangers!" Enough said. Video chat or instant message with random users. You can add interests so you get paired with people you want to talk to. There's also a "spy" mode where you can ask a question and watch two people discuss it. The home page has an "adult option" for video chat. There is a pop-up age warning, but you just have to click a button to bypass it. The other side of the link…let's just say you do not want your kids going there. Wanelo A social shopping site similar to Pinterest, Wanelo users and shops can post pics of products online. Everything there is available to buy. Because users can post anything they want, there are going to be some questionable items you might not want kids to see. Community Calendar If you have a community not-for-profit event you would like included in the calendar, please email it to editorofBTC@gmail.com with the subject line "calendar."Priority will be given to Brooklin events. Some editing may occur. Wed., Feb. 22, 7 pm Brooklin Horticultural Society Membership & Think Spring Meeting: BHS starts off its year with its annual Membership meeting, welcoming our returning & new members alike. Gini Sage, a Durham Master Gardener with over 30 years of gardening experience will be our guest speaker. She will present "Starting from Seed," providing the knowledge and skills to be successful at starting seeds at home for planting in the spring. Come early & enjoy our social time before the meeting. At the Brooklin United Church, 19 Cassels Rd. E. Sat., March 18 - 9:00 am - Landmark Cinemas 24 Whitby The Optimist Club of Brooklin Proudly Presents: A Morning at the Movies with Beauty and the Beast (Movie will start at 10:00 am) ADVANCE TICKETS ONLY - $10.00 per child (3-13 years old) and $10.00 per adult. Babes in arms are free Calling all princes and princesses of Brooklin. Princess Belle requests the honour of your presence at a private screening of Beauty and the Beast. Wear your favourite costume or gown You will have an opportunity to meet Princess Belle and other surprise guests and enjoy other special surprises. Contact gracebrooklinoptimist- club@gmail.com or purchase tickets at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/opti- mist-club-of-brooklin-morning-at- the-movies-beauty-and-the-beast- tickets-31176681293 Mondays 6:30-7:00 pm: French Family Storytime: Children of all ages and their caregivers are invited to join Madame Sue for our weekly French Family Storytime! Enjoy a half hour of stories and songs in French, with a dash of English too! Registration is not required. Just drop in! LOCATION: Central Library - Children's Program Room Tuesdays: Brooklin Toastmasters, 7:15 pm for Meet & Greet, Meeting from 7:20 to 9:14 pm at the Brooklin Community Centre & Library, 8 Vipond Road, 2nd floor Boardroom. For more information, contact John at 905-683-4439 or jajhj@sympatico.ca or Loran Weston- Smyth at lorn@lornawestonsmyth.com or 416-910-4109. Brooklin Toastmasters provides a supportive and positive environment where members have the opportunity to develop their communication and leadership skills. Basic Foot Care: Community Care Durham provides basic foot care services by registered foot care nurses on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at St. Thomas' Anglican Church. Please call 905-668-6223 for more information. Thursday evenings: Love to sing! The Brooklin United Church adult choir welcomes new voices to join us. Practices are Thursday evenings 7:30 - 9:00 pm. You do not need to read music to be part of the choir. Practice CD's are made available. For more information, please call the church office at 905-655-4141 or by email at office@brooklinunited.ca WORSHIP DIRECTORY WORSHIP DIRECTORY Burns Presbyterian Church 765 Myrtle Rd West (just 4 minutes north of Brooklin) 10am Worship, Kids Zone Fun & Nursery Care "Discovering God, Sharing God's Love" 905.655.8509 www.Burnschurch.org St. Thomas' Anglican Church 101 Winchester Road East Sunday Services: 8:30 and 10:30 am Sunday School & Nursery Program (10:30am) Wednesday 10:00 a.m. Communion and Healing Service 905-655-3883 www.stthomasbrooklin.ca Brooklin United Church 19 Cassels Rd. E. Sunday Services at 10:30 am Sunday School & Nursery Care www.brooklinunited.ca 905-655-4141 Come catch the Spirit! Renaissance Baptist Church of Brooklin 40 Vipond Road (Just West Of Library) Sunday Worship & Kids Program 10:30 a.m. 905-655-4554 www.brooklinrbc.ca We're here for Brooklin!