Signal is a bare bones messaging application for iPhone and Android, specializing in secure and encrypted communication between users. Here are some pros, cons and tips for educators.

Last week, our Safety Management team received a considerable number of inquiries from educators concerned about the game “Blue Whale,” which has ostensibly resulted in the death of dozens of teenagers by suicide. Despite our position that the Blue Whale game does not represent a real threat, this does nevertheless present an opportunity.

We laud the efforts of Instagram and others to create safer online environments and kinder communities, and hope they continue to promote values aligned with digital citizenship.

Swarm is a very focused app that is only truly functional if the user is visiting physical locations and checking in. Because of the need to check in and the competitive aspect, students could leave themselves vulnerable to online predators and other dangers.

As the adage goes, “the only permanent thing in the universe is impermanence.” This is certainly true of the Stories feature on social media—made popular by Snapchat, which has recently been implemented by Instagram and Facebook as well.