What Is the Clubhouse App and Is It Safe for My Child?

Whenever you think back to your youth, you probably recall a time when you and your friends hung out in a place like a library or a clubhouse. Similarly, modern-age kids meet people and talk in Clubhouse, but it's virtual. You may have heard about the Clubhouse application before.

Launched in March 2020, Clubhouse became viral and got people's attention, mainly among adults alike. As of 2022, Clubhouse's social app has over 10 million users.

A social app, the clubhouse has been catching people's attention since its launch. However, concerns have been raised about its safety, especially for children and teens.

In this article, we will take a look at the Clubhouse app and some of the risks associated with it. We will also provide some suggestions on how to keep your child safe if they use this app.

What is Clubhouse?

Though many people refer to Clubhouse as a social media app, it is a social audio chat app. It allows the users to connect through voice chat rooms and have conversations on different topics.

It was originally branded as Talkshow, then rebranded as Clubhouse in March 2020 for iOS and officially released. Today, the clubhouse app is available on both iOS and Android devices.

Similarly to an interactive podcast that simulates real-life interactions, it is interactive as well. The app is also suitable for camera-shy people as it doesn't use a camera. You don’t have to worry about your look, your dress up, or your location; nothing matters. It only uses a mic to have proper communication.

It means your kid can use the application while folding laundry or sweeping the floor because they don’t have to press the hit and send button. Their voices will convey all their emotions accurately.

Read More: Is TikTok Safe for Kids? How to Let Your Kids Use TikTok Safely?

How Does Clubhouse Work?

The clubhouse is well-known for its meetings, talks, and ideas sharing. The app doesn't allow you to share pictures or videos. There is only one thing you can do: talk.

Inside the app, there is a list of "rooms" as well as a list of users in each one. The type of rooms you see depends on who you follow, your interests and hobbies, and who are on your contact list. Further, you can enter or leave the public room as per your interest.

You can join any group as a listener, moderator, or speaker. The clubhouse app is invite-only, so you can connect with only people you know in real life. That means you can’t join any group without getting an invitation link. An existing user must send you an invitation link to join their group.

You can also create rooms and hold audio conversations. There are thousands of rooms to choose from. Rooms are divided by topic, so users can join any room that they want. For example, the topic can be related to story-telling, music-related, adults, or games.

A host can dominate a discussion or unmute participants to give them a chance to speak. A chat feature was added recently for mic-shy users, so there is also a text component to the platform.

Many celebrities, experts, capitalists, venture, journalists, and others host clubhouse rooms. The platform hires moderators to ensure that free speech, as well as healthy dialogue, is maintained.

Steps to register a Clubhouse account:

Follow the steps below to register a clubhouse account.

• Visit AppStore or PlayStore to download the Clubhouse app.
• Launch the application and tap on the Get your username button.
• Now, enter your mobile number and tap Next.
• After that, enter the verification code that you have gotten on your phone. Tap Next.
• Now, enter the full name and then the unique user name.
• Finally, you will reach the Clubhouse sign-up page after clicking the Next button. You can also link it to the other app, such as Instagram account Twitter.

Is ClubHouse Safe? What Parents Need to Know

The app has been incredibly popular among teenagers and young adults since its launch in 2020. Further, many influencers and celebrities join clubhouse rooms and hold talks, which grab children's interest. However, it has also come under fire for its lack of safety and privacy features.

So, is the clubhouse app safe for your child to use? Keep reading to find out!

Clubhouse age rating.

The user age must be at least 18 years old to sign up for Clubhouse. However, there is no actual age verification system to sign up for, so your kid may join the inappropriate rooms for discussion.

Besides that, several safety concerns should be taken into consideration. Here’s what parents should know about the Clubhouse app.

1. Lack of Censorship

Clubhouse aims to provide its users with a safe environment. However, it can be difficult to moderate all rooms appropriately. Consequently, some conversations may be inappropriate for young people.

Further, children may create their own rooms and discuss adult topics if they are not monitored and censored.

1. Adult Content

Once you enter the audio app, it will suggest different rooms. And since the application is for over 18 years, the rooms that the application recommends may not be appropriate for the children.

In some cases, there may be some groups in the clubhouse where people discuss child-friendly topics. But in other cases, the topics are not ideal for younger kids, tweens, or teens.

The host discusses some explicit content, thinking they are speaking to adults only, but the children can also be in the room. The conversations can be unhealthy and addictive for kids, giving your children the wrong idea.

Further, the app lacks content filtering, so users can easily share explicit content. That’s why the clubhouse is not safe for kids,

1. Cyberbullying

Anyone can be a victim of cyberbullying. Imagine hundreds of different adult people are in the conference hall discussing a sensitive topic. It will obviously cause verbal assault, finger-pointing, and name-calling. That’s exactly what happened at Clubhouse.

Since the clubhouse is uncensored, users can use vulgar language in a heated dispute. As a result, users become victims of cyberbullying. They can feel humiliated and emotionally hurt.

Further, not just only hearing, your child can potentially join the heated argument and throw comments using foul language. So, when kids enter a room, they may be a victim of cyberbullying or encourage bullying.

1. Misinformation

People can share their opinion on different hot topics. However, not everything you have heard about the clubhouse is correct. You may listen to a different topic, event, or perspective when you enter the crowded mall. Exactly clubhouse is the place where commentary is currency.

There can be false news roaming in the clubhouse compared to other apps such as Facebook and Twitter. And since kids can’t differentiate what is true and use their reasoning skills, they are likely to believe everything they hear. That’s why to stay away from false information; it's better to keep your child away from the clubhouse.

1. Anonymity.

Another major concern about the Clubhouse is that users can create fake profiles and trick the users. The lack of a verification process to sign up for Clubhouse is the main reason behind its anonymity.

Scammers and online predators may take the help of fake profiles and enter the room. And since kids are innocent and trust people easily, they may share personal information with strangers. So, your kids can easily be targeted by predators or bullies.

At last, you don’t know what kind of people your kids are encountering at Clubhouse. That’s why it is a good reason to ensure that your child is not using the application before they reach adulthood.

1. Recording conversations

The users can record the conversation using third-party tools and share it on different platforms. And if your children engage themselves in any sensitive topics, it can cause problems.

Basing someone individually or in a group based on racism and through hate speech is illegal. If your child finds doing so, it will not be good.

1. Celebrity hook

In January 2021, the appearance of Elon Musk and Kanye West drew the focus of people in Clubhouse. Similarly, Bill Gates did the same, and the trend continues.

The presence of their favorite celebrity in their own room is also why children use the application. And the same reason can backfire the child safety. The content that the social media influencer discusses may be inappropriate for underage children.

Does the clubhouse have any safety features?

The application provides various features that help to keep it safe. However, moderators have more privileges than speakers or listeners.

Features for moderator

You can have the following feature as a moderator in the clubhouse room.

1. Accept or reject speakers.

The room's moderator must permit you to speak. Upon approval by the moderator, you will be promoted to the speaker panel.

1. Remove or mute any speaker.

Moderators can mute the participants who speak the abusive language and pass hate speech. In extreme cases, they can remove the speaker from the chat room.

1. Block Speakers

If the speaker shows inappropriate behavior even after suggesting not to, the moderator can block them. Those users cannot join the room again after being blocked. To rejoin the room, the moderator must unblock them.

Features for the listener or Speaker

The listener and Speaker have limited features compared to the moderator. Let’s discuss what they are.

• Listeners or speakers can follow other users they want to connect with later. Alternatively, as a listener or speaker, you can block users you do not want to communicate with.
• In the upper right corner of your screen, click the three dots to report an incident in real-time. To conduct further investigations, Clubhouse will keep the temporary, encrypted recordings of the room from this action.

How can we keep your kid safe in Clubhouse?

You should advise your child to stay away from Clubhouse until they turn 18. However, if you cannot prevent your child from joining Clubhouse, here are some tips to make the app safe for your kids.

1. Explain the risk.

Educate your children about the possible dangers of using social media and sharing confidential data online. Tell them not to share their full name, address, and other identifying information on the application.

Further, explain to the child that the application is for above 18 years users, so there might be a chance of encountering adult content. Make them mature enough to handle any type of conversation that they find in the application.

And before believing anyone’s information, encourage them to research and only believe them. It helps to prevent misinformation.

1. Encourage blocking or reporting.

Encourage them to block or report users whom they find offensive and abusive. However, there is a possibility of inappropriate chats slipping through.

1. Use Private Room

Talk to kids and tell them not to send the invitation link to strangers. Additionally, encourage them to chat with people they know in private rooms. Doing so can make the app safe for your kids.

1. Avoid integrating other social media apps with Clubhouse.

The clubhouse should not be connected to other social media apps so that you can protect your child's personal information. It will reduce the chance of a stranger privately messaging your child. Do not forget to keep all profiles on other social media accounts private.

1. Use family accounts rather than personal accounts.

If your kid uses the family accounts, you can see everything your child does on the application. It includes monitoring activities, setting privacy control, and so on.

1. Monitor using Parental Control Apps.

Check-in with your kids regularly to see how they're using the app, or grant them access to it only when you are present. However, you can’t stay 24 hours with your children to monitor their mobile usage.

That’s why the best way to protect your children from Clubhouse is to monitor their phone’s activity using the best parental controls application. These applications are specially designed for kids. You can find thousands of child monitoring software on the internet.

Parental control applications like fenced.ai provide alert notifications for dangers such as sexual content, online predators, cyberbullying, etc. It helps you to ensure your child’s online safety by limiting screen time. Furthermore, some parental control apps include an app blocker that lets you block the clubhouse and other alternative apps.

Applying the above-mentioned tips can keep the clubhouse safe for kids.

Conclusion

The Clubhouse app is a social media platform that enables users to audio chat with each other in real time. It is essentially a voice-based version of other popular social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Using the app, kids can socialize and make new friends.

However, it does come with some risks. It is up to parents to protect their children from the dark side of the app. As for the question of whether it is safe for children, the clubhouse app is not appropriate for kids.

But the child monitoring application helps to make the clubhouse safe for kids. Thank you for taking the time to read the article. I hope it is helpful.