BeReal is a social media app that asks users to take a quick snapshot of an ‘authentic moment’ during their day to share with their followers. It is formatted to make the user show their ‘real self’, something younger generations are eager to see in their digital lives. There are no filters or opportunities to stage the ‘perfect photo’ – what you see is what you get. BeReal describes itself as the “first uncontrollable media sharing platform.”
It is free to download on any iOS and Android mobile phone. BeReal has been downloaded over 28 million times since its release in 2020, with the majority of downloads happening in 2022.
Core Functions
- Post a photo once a day once they are notified by the app’s push notification. All users receive the same notification at the same local time.
- Add friends from mobile contact lists or by searching usernames. Once added, friends can see (and are notified) whenever a BeReal is posted.
- Leave comments, tag friends, or create a ‘Realmoji’ (a selfie that allows users to visibly react to the post).
- Browse friends posts and the discovery feed, which allows users to engage with other users from all over the world.
Age Requirements
The minimum age to use BeReal is 13 – however, there are currently no effective age verification measures aside from requesting the user’s date of birth during sign up. Their age is not mentioned on their profile, and they are not restricted from accessing any of the app’s features.
Risks
- The BeReal notification comes at random. A young person could become easily distracted during inappropriate times of the day (e.g. while in school or during family dinner).
- If a user misses the two minute window for any reason, they are marked as ‘late’. This doesn’t consider time constraints like school, jobs, driving, and events that could restrict phone access.
- In order to meet the window, a young person could unintentionally post something improper to meet the sense of urgency the app creates.
- Perception anxiety could become a problem if a young person begins to worry about what their friends will think of them, depending on what they post, when they post, etc.
- Comparison traps are a real issue for this platform, as some users may feel bored or unsatisfied with their life when seeing what their friends are doing.
- Personal information could be compromised in the ‘candid’ photos (like live location, school, or extracurriculars) and could be shared to others without the young person realising or giving consent.
- Safety settings are lacking - there are no privacy features, no parental controls, and no blocking abilities on this platform. Users can only report posts and other users to the platform.
- The discovery page encourages interaction between complete strangers and could lead to communication on other apps with messaging functions (like Instagram or WhatsApp).
Tips
- Talk to the young person in your care about the importance of knowing (and trusting) who they are sharing photos with online.
- Explain image ownership and exactly how their images belong to them.
- Remind them that an app does not determine the type of person they are, and that true friends should never make them feel that way.
- Ask them questions about authenticity and what they think that means when it comes to social media and apps like BeReal.
- Tell them not to share any personal details or use live-location while on the app, as it allows people with poor intentions to manipulate them.