Zoom is a video conferencing platform founded in 2011. It is currently available on desktop, mobile, tablet, and web browser. Despite being a video conferencing platform, users may engage with it as they would another social media platform.
Age Rating
On Apple’s App Store, Zoom is ranked as suitable for 4 years and up and is rated PEGI 3 on Google’s Play Store.
Core Functions
Virtual video break out rooms, whiteboard sharing, and live annotation.
Video chat allows users to talk in HD video, screen share, and whiteboard.
Users can host a webinar and invite up to 100 interactive attendees with up to 50 camera feeds displaying at once.
Facilitates instant group messaging, where users can send text, images, and audio.
Security settings that prevent any third-party from viewing messages between two or more people in a private call.
Risks
- Zoom may present a risk to young people from uninvited guests joining meetings at random via open meetings with shareable invites.
- Most incidents on Zoom come from users not being fully informed about how to securely use the platform.
- As more and more young people use the platform for learning and communication, it’s important to apply the appropriate safety settings. Knowing how to use these settings will help keep young people safer on the platform.
Safety Settings
- Each meeting is assigned a 9-digit Meeting ID. Keeping this ID private will stop uninvited guests from joining a video chat. Meeting hosts can also add a password offering another layer of security.
- Zoom offers a ‘Waiting Room’ function, which allows users to screen new guests before granting them access to the call.
- Users can change settings to stop others from screen sharing. During meetings, screen sharing privileges should only be granted to trusted users.
- All users can create a report for abusive behaviour online.
Top Tips
- Encourage young people to only use Zoom with people they know offline. If they host their own meeting, they should restrict the ability of unknown users to join or share their screen.
- Make sure young people understand how to secure their privacy on the platform. Try using Zoom to get an idea of how it works and figure out privacy settings together.
- Encourage kindness and respect online just as you would in real life – this helps create a safer internet for everyone.
- Explain the risks of image sharing and screenshots online to the young people in your life.