Zift Advisory
Band is an app for organizing and participating in online communities and groups, available for iOS and Android devices. The Band app is rated for teens, does offer in-app purchases and advertisements and is not safe for kids. It is designed to facilitate communication between "bands" of users, such as personal networks, professional teams, clubs, or interest- and hobby-centered communities.
What is BAND - App for all groups?
Band is an app for organizing and participating in online communities and groups, available for iOS, Android, and desktop systems.
The Band app is rated for teens and does offer in-app purchases and advertisements.
It is designed to facilitate coordination and communication between "bands" of users, such as personal networks, professional teams, clubs, or interest- and hobby-centered communities. Users are also able to search for an join new groups of like-minded people through the Band mobile app.
Bands can be extremely niche, public, or purely professional in their interests. All bands are classified as one of three main types: Secret, Closed, or Public bands.
Secret bands are not discoverable through the app's search function and can only be joined via invitation.
Closed bands are discoverable, but the content is only visible to approved group members.
Public bands are completely open and searchable, with all content accessible to members and non-members alike.
Closed and Public bands are typically interest-based, such as communities dedicated to common hobbies, interests, or experiences. Secret bands, on the other hand, are typically created to serve users with offline connections to other members. This often includes existing groups of friends, family, campus organizations, professional teams, or other offline organizations.
The main community features of Band are Chat, Board, Calendar, and Album. The Board is like a dedicated forum or Facebook-style feed specific to each band, where members can have discussions, post images and files, or share polls and other interactive content. Calendars allow for coordination and shared deadlines for the entire band, while Chat facilitates direct and group communication between members. The Album is for sharing images and video assets within the group.
Band launched a gaming platform in mid-2014, as well, adding mobile games and competition within and between bands.
In the third quarter of 2015, Band announced it had surpassed 50 million downloads. The app is tremendously popular in South Korea, with more active users per month than Facebook.
Band is used as an official communications tool within the Army of the Republic of South Korea.
Is BAND - App for all groups safe for my kids?
Band is not safe for younger children unless their membership is restricted to carefully selected Secret bands composed of known individuals.
Mature teens who are familiar with and can safely use social media should have few problems with the platform, and may find its clear, straightforward functionality a relief after the algorithmically-cultivated environments of larger social networks, like Facebook.
That said, whether or not band is safe for children entirely depends on the bands in which they are active. There is no content filtering or monitoring functionality in the band app at all.
Whether or not the content, language, and behavior within a band in appropriate is entirely up to the band's individual members and administrators, the latter of which have the sole authority to remove offensive content or approve new members. (Some bands have co-admins with limited authority, as well.)
In order to use Band safely, make sure your teen can easily recognize and maturely respond to inappropriate or harassing material, if encountered.
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