Houseparty App appears to be the No 1 app
socializing amongst young people during COVID 19 lockdown. It’s a video chat app which is available for
iOS, Android platforms, Mac OS & for Chrome as basically a web app. The
concept is offering the experience of a real ‘HouseParty’ in which users can
move between rooms -video chatting with others.
Houseparty has been around for quite a while, the coronavirus has just launched it with a bang! It’s had a real resurgence and as of today Sunday 29 March 20202 it’s the Numero Uno in iTunes App ‘most downloaded free apps’.
So how does Houseparty App Work?
The Houseparty App is owned by Epic Games, the
same dudes behind that game, you may not have heard of it…Fortnite 
.
Houseparty is rated as 12+ in the App
Store. The main focus of the app is a
live experience meaning that you can drop in and out whenever you want. The friends you have on Houseparty receive a
notification when you are ‘around’ (login to the app)
The key thing with Houseparty is how simple they’ve
made it to start chatting. Mmmh. So you can start chatting right away with
friends – unless they have chosen to ‘lock their room’.
Users can chat with, between 2 and 8 people at
the same time. Within a room users can also text friends and play games within the
app.Houseparty encourages conversations between friends and friends of
friends. Users can tap a little emoji
waving hand to say hi and the phone call emoji to video call. Users also have the option of sharing their
screen as well as disabling the camera feature within Houseparty.
he app also has another feature called ‘Facemail. This is effective – an old-skool voicemail but your face is attached to it these are videos left for certain friends to see the next time they login to the app.
How does a user create an account?
Its straight forward. When signing up, the app
asks for your phone number and permission to access your camera, microphone and
location. It also asks for permission to
access your contacts and social media contacts. You know you don’t have to give
them all of this. Right?
What do Parents need to be aware of?
As with all social media apps and platforms it’s
important for Parents and Carers to be aware of some of the risks and dangers
on platforms and apps. With Houseparty
all chats are unmoderated within the app.
Friends of friends can also enter rooms and join chats. The
app does notify users however – when a stranger enters a room.
Note: Taking
screenshots of videos and images is possible within the app and these could end
up getting posted or shared across other social medial platforms or the
internet.
Parent and Teen Conversation starters when it comes to Houseparty App
As always, encouraging regular conversation is
key when it comes to Online Safety. Parents
should encourage their children who us the Houseparty app to keep their
location private, be respective and mindful of what they are sharing and posting
to within the app and that someone taking a screenshot of content is a real
possibility. Encourage them to leave a
Houseparty room if a stranger enters and keep chats private by using the ‘lock
mode’ on Houseparty.
Stay Safe
Wayne
>> Read the full article at waynedenner.com
Wayne Denner is a speaker, author and expert on Online Reputation and Wellbeing. Wayne helps young people protect and improve their digital presence. Visit waynedenner.com for more information.
