Just like trends on social media, popular apps come and go, and now there’s a new platform on the block. Lemon8 has arrived, and it’s ready to grab our attention, suck us into yet another endless scroll, and – with an algorithm much like TikTok’s – it’s sure to know us better than we really know ourselves. After testing out the latest arrival to social media, we’re about to take a look at both the positive and negative sides, and see if Lemon8 really is safe for teens to use.
What is Lemon8?
Lemon8 is a social photo and video sharing app for sharing lifestyle pictures, inspirational content, and recommendations. Imagine Pinterest and Instagram joining forces, and the result might be something like Lemon8. The social media platform allows users to scroll curated feeds showcasing beauty, health, wellness, and travel content – in other words, an aspirational, aesthetic dream.
What can you do on Lemon8?
The feed allows you to view images on both the left and right-hand side of the page, and lets you scroll through and tap into content that you might be interested in seeing more of. Once you click into the photo or video, you’ll see more of the caption, which creators often make long and informative, unlike on other social media apps. At first download, the app asks you to select from a range of interests, such as fashion, makeup, home decor, and fitness.
One of the more unique features of Lemon8 is the fact it allows you to edit text directly onto your photos, and add image cutouts, stickers, and drawings, to make posts more lively and engaging – like an Instagram story, but here you can make those edits to feed posts instead.
Lemon8’s feed is divided into categories, including:
- Fashion
- Beauty
- Food
- Wellness
- Travel
- Pet
Much like TikTok, Lemon8 has a “following” and a “For You” divider, which recommends popular content and serves up similar images or videos to those which you’ve already interacted with.
Is Lemon8 owned by Bytedance?
Lemon8’s parent company is the same as TikTok’s: Chinese-based technology firm Bytedance. With rumors surrounding a US TikTok ban, and parents and lawmakers increasingly concerned about TikTok’s effect on teens and tweens, some say the US rollout of Lemon8 has been timed strategically, as a potential backup app.
How many people use Lemon8?
According to reports, Lemon8 has 4.25 million active US users, but most of its user base is located in Asian countries like Thailand and Japan, thanks to Lemon8 being launched in Asian markets only in 2020. In early 2023, Lemon8 was released in the US and UK, shooting straight up the download charts and into the top 10 on the App Store.
How old do you have to be to use Lemon8?
Lemon8’s terms of service for the US and UK outline that the app should only be used by people aged 18 or over. The company states that if a user is suspected or found to be under 18, their account will be terminated.
Is Lemon8 safe for teens?
Because Lemon8 is relatively new on the scene, at least in the US market, we didn’t find much content that could be considered inappropriate for young people. The vibe of Lemon8 is very much a curated Instagram ad, which means most posts are clean, aesthetically pleasing, and stray far away from being provocative or incendiary.
Something to note is that teens can’t DM each other on Lemon8. There’s no messaging feature, and the only way for users to communicate with one another is through comments on posts, which are made publicly. The downside is that no profiles on Lemon8 can be made private, meaning whatever you choose to upload will be out in the public eye. This could leave teens open to negative comments, and means they have to be careful about what they’re uploading to the platform.
Does Lemon8 have parental controls?
Unlike its sister company under Bytedance, TikTok, there are no parental controls on Lemon8. Families can’t:
- Limit the time teens spend on the app
- Set profiles to private
- Limit the content shown in the feed
If your child downloads or uses Lemon8, and you’re concerned about the time they’re spending on social media, you can use parental control solutions like Qustodio to help look out for their digital wellbeing. With Qustodio’s tools, you can set limits on social media applications, block them entirely, and block out periods of the day limiting screen time altogether – great for those times kids need to focus, or need a break from the endless scroll!
What kind of content can my teen see on Lemon8?
When considering what young people might be exposed to as they scroll through their feed, Lemon8 displays both the good and bad side of social media – or, at least, the type of content that might affect children and teens in a more negative way.
The good side of Lemon8 is filled with tips, recipes, inspiration, and creativity. If you want to find new ways to style your hair, or try out a different way to bake brownies, this is the app to find it on.
However, while most of the content on Lemon8 seems positive and innocent, it’s still filled with the type of “inspirational” post that could have negative effects on body positivity and overall mental health in the long run – much like most of social media. As soon as we created an account, the feed offered up dieting tips, weight loss posts, and healthy eating advice.
Qustodio’s final advice on Lemon8
Time will tell if Lemon8 is a true social media success story, or if interest slowly dies down, just as with other hyped platforms like BeReal. It’s difficult for new apps to compete with giants like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest, who have been fast favorites for years now. However, as Instagram changes its format to become more and more like TikTok every day, there’s potential for Lemon8 to slide into the gap it leaves behind.
Ultimately, whether successful or not, Lemon8 is still a social media app, all of which come with their own sets of individual risks, and concerns as a category overall. For teenagers (and adults alike), social media can negatively affect them in many different ways, impacting their mental health and affecting their sleep. Social media use can also put kids at risk of cyberbullying and expose them to harmful trends and challenges, along with hurtful, mean behavior from strangers on the internet.
Social media is inescapable and inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it has to play a major part in your child’s life. Showing children how to balance their social media use and make it as positive an experience as they possibly can is key, and Lemon8 is no exception.
