What Parents need to know about Ogle

A disturbing new social media app has emerged. It is called Ogle.

Ogle describes it self as follows:

“”Ogle lets users express themselves in a variety of unique ways, all with an emphasis on community themes.

Connect to your campus through fun and interactive themes by submitting photos and videos to topics such as “#FinalsBeLike” or “Home for the Holidays.””

Unfortunately, this is not what is happening on Ogle.

App store rating: 12+

Problem: After you download and open Ogle, it asks you to identify your school. It will use your GPS signal to list nearby high schools and universities.

The major problem with Ogle is that it allows users to be completely anonymous in their posting. You can post text, images, or video clips with captions.

As a member of the school threat assessment team for Orange County, I have been receiving an alarming number of calls about this app. Students are using this app to post threats, racial epithets, videos of school fights, nude images of underaged students, and hurtful comments about fellow students.

This app is not safe for children.

Solution: Turn on parental controls on your child’s device and block their ability to download apps. Apps should only be downloaded by you and controlled by your parental control password.

Check each one of the apps on your child’s phone and delete any apps that allow them to be anonymous or talk to strangers.

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About the Author

Clayton Cranford
Clayton Cranford is a retired Sergeant from Orange County Sheriff's Department in California and owner of Total Safety Solutions LLC. Clayton is one of the nation’s leading law enforcement educators on social media, child safety, and behavioral threat assessments. Clayton is the author of the definitive book on cyber safety for families, “Parenting in the Digital World.” Clayton has more than 20 years of teaching experience and was awarded the 2015 National Bullying Prevention Award from the School Safety Advocacy Council, and the 2015 American Legion Medal of Merit. Clayton was a member of the County's Behavioral Threat Assessment Team, Crisis Negotiation Team, School Resource Officer program, and Juvenile Bureau.