There’s a new social media app that’s being called the “Anti-Instagram” that all parents should know about. BeReal is, as the name suggests, is all about being real. Users are prompted to take pictures in the moment without curating or filtering them. Each post has two images — one from your front-facing camera and one that’s a selfie. Once you download the app, you’ll get a random notification at a certain time during the day to post saying “Time to BeReal.” From then, you have only two minutes to share your two photos of what you’re doing at that time. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing — when it’s time to be real, just snap a pic! Images can be captioned but not filtered and accounts can be public or private.
Some users of the app appreciate the fact that it encourages you not to overthink the images you’re posting. In fact, if you exceed the allotted amount of time to post, your image will be marked “late.” You can redo your photos, but then your friends will see how many times you deleted and uploaded your pics.
If your teens are feeling too much pressure to post perfect pics on Instagram, BeReal could be a good alternative. But other parents say they don’t like the fact that a notification causes their kids to drop everything and post.
BeReal is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.
Did you know 8 in 10 parents want kids off social media? See why.