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App Gives Parents Control Over Kids' Social Media

Kids are all over social media and that gives parents many endless days and nights of worry about what could be happening to or with their children. That got Broward County app builder William Stark thinking about a solution.

“If a kid knew what they were about to post, that the first person who would see it would be their parents, would they actually post it?” Stark said.

That moment of inspiration helped him come up with the “Halt” app.

“This application will only show you what your kid has posted, what their likes are, what their status updates have been, what their friends have tagged them in,” Stark said. “It filters out all that extra stuff so you look at what’s important.”

The app’s purpose is to keep parents in the social media loop. It gives parents final say over what their kids post to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. So what happens if Mom or Dad has questions about a post? They can flag it and look at it again later.

“There’s a lot of danger out there and no one knows what’s happening,” said parent Deborah Ramirez, who is planning on using the app. “There’s pedophiles and everything, and we could keep our kids safe.”

“Halt’s” release comes just days after the mother of Becca Sedwick filed a civil suit over her death. The Orlando-area 12-year-old reportedly was taunted and cyber-bullied by two classmates. The family said the pressure drove Sedwick to take her life. Her mother’s attorney said the lawsuit is a wake-up call for parents to track their kids online activity, or else.

“If it doesn’t, you may find yourself on the wrong side of a lawsuit with your personal assets in jeopardy,” said attorney Matt Morgan.

The Halt app is available for the iPhone.

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