What is Lemon8?

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PYE has received multiple questions from parents about Lemon8. According to the App Store listing, “Lemon8 is a content sharing platform with a youthful community. Here is where you can discover beautiful, authentic, and diverse content. It is THE destination for sharing and exploring.”

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While it was released back in March of 2020 (what a month!), it wasn’t available in the US or the UK until February of 2023. ByteDance, the same company that owns TikTok, also owns Lemon8. People have speculated that the quiet western launch was intended as a fail-safe for ByteDance in case TikTok was banned in the US. With the CEO of TikTok testifying before Congress just a month after Lemon8’s release to the US, the timing sure fits.

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How does Lemon8 Work?

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When signing up, Lemon8 will ask you to share your preferred pronouns, birth year, email or phone number, and select a few of your interests.

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Using Lemon8 feels like a combination of navigating Instagram and Pinterest. It’s mainly focused around aesthetics, traveling, fashion, health, travel, and food. Users can post pictures and videos with a very similar feel to Instagram, and you can also add posts to your “collections” which function similarly to a Pinterest “board.”

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Users can find and share posts and collections by searching and exploring on the platform. Using and searching hashtags are very relevant on this app, and can lead to finding inappropriate content.

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Does Lemon8 have Privacy Risks?

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Normally, we would say the privacy risks falls alongside that of other common social media platforms, but Lemon8 is a little different. With ByteDance being its parent company, we approach the topic of privacy with a little more skepticism.

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Lemon8’s Privacy Policy states all the ways in which they collect and use your data. They state how they might store your data in a server outside the country you live in, and might be sharing certain data with third party companies.

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Some of their members or affiliates may have access to specific data, which could mean that it’s possible for ByteDance to see the information given to Lemon8. So, we can’t help but feel a little uneasy about the data being collected on this app. People should take a “use at your own risk” approach to the privacy concerns on Lemon8.

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Does Lemon8 have any Parental Controls?

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When poking around the settings, there are practically zero controls. This app greatly lacks the safety settings that are slowly becoming a standard amongst most social media. While those standards often fall way too short, Lemon8 is all the way at the bottom. They might have the least controls of any social media app we’ve covered.

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You can disallow Lemon8 from using your posts as promotional material, hide the posts you like, and limit your notifications. That’s it.

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There is nothing about making your account private, limiting the ability to comment or follow others, no way to make your account undiscoverable, no way to post privately or make private collections. Whatever you post, anyone can see and there seems to be no way around it. Users can always see who you are following and who follows you.

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While there is no way to direct message others, you can still comment and reply to comments on posts, so there is a way for people to talk with each other. Users can also link their TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or other external links for anyone to click on. The links listed within accounts have always been a spot to watch for, Lemon8 offers 5 ways to leave their app and go somewhere else. Please be careful!

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Thankfully, users can ban and report others. But otherwise, that’s really all there is.

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Bottom Line: is Lemon8 safe for kids?

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• Too much exposure, too little controls. With such a lack of privacy on this platform, on top of its connection to ByteDance, it’s simply not worth the potential risks.
• For now, use at your own risk. Right now, due to the lack of digital wellness features that are becoming customary in social media, this app does not support our goals of teens being prepared, balanced, and protected online.

What if I have more questions? How can I stay up to date?

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Two actions you can take!

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1. Subscribe to our tech trends newsletter, the PYE Download. About every 3 weeks, we’ll share what’s new, what the PYE team is up to, and a message from Chris.
2. Ask your questions in our private parent community called The Table! It’s not another Facebook group. No ads, no algorithms, no asterisks. Just honest, critical conversations and deep learning! For parents who want to “go slow” together. Become a member today!

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