Social Media
What BeReal Is Really Like
BeReal started out as the calm alternative to Instagram, one photo a day at a random moment with no filters, and for a while it really was that. Then it added bonus posts on top of the daily one, and it's slowly turned into another polished feed.
Why this matters for your kid
It promises what your kid is asking for, a social app that doesn't feel like Instagram. But the new features have made it a lot more like Instagram than it was at the start, and the friends list usually includes kids your kid doesn't actually know in real life.
What it's like for your kid
A notification goes off once a day at a random time, and they get two minutes to take a photo of where they are and what they're doing, then see the same from their friends. There's a retake button now, so it's not all that spontaneous anymore.
What you might notice
Watch for friends on the list they can't name in real life, and pressure to take a photo even when it's a private or bad moment. If they won't put the phone away because they're waiting for the BeReal notification, that's worth talking about.
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