BeReal

BeReal is a free photo sharing app that aims to offer a more authentic image sharing experience, with over 3.5 million daily active users. BeReal users are prompted each day to take a photo of whatever they are doing, wherever they are, within two minutes of being notified by the app to share a ‘BeReal’ photo. This image is shared with friends on the platform, who can comment and react to the image. The image only lasts a day, before users are notified again to send the next daily photo. The aim is for BeReal users to share real-time images, rather than overly filtered or heavily edited images as seen on other photo sharing platforms. All BeReal images you share are saved to your BeReal calendar, where they are stored as daily memories, which can be compiled into a showreel at the end of each year.

Official age rating

The minimum age restriction for BeReal users is 13, however it does not appear to have any particular age verification methods.

All BeReal accounts are automatically set to private where only user's friends on the app can see.

Find out more about age ratings in our ‘A parent and carer’s guide to age ratings of apps and games’.

How children and young people use the app

This app is appealing to many young people as it is unlike many other social media apps. Many other photo sharing apps focus on image, offering a wide range of editing tools to curate the perfect picture. BeReal’s purpose is to be “an authentic, spontaneous, and candid social network”. This is refreshing for many young social media users as they feel they can post more freely without the same level of pressure to look a certain way and without the same level of judgement experienced on other social media platforms.  The app has no ads meaning that users can just see what their friends post without any interruptions, or their feed being influenced by any other factors. By only having two minutes to post it creates a competitive atmosphere of who is going to post first.  

Key features and terminology

Potential risks

Content

As all of the content created on BeReal is user generated, it is challenging to monitor. Under the terms of service, BeReal invites users to report any content that is sexual or pornographic, includes hate speech, extremism, violence, suicide or self-harm. BeReal states that as a hosting company, it is not obliged to monitor the content posted on the platform, instead relying on users to self-govern and report content they feel is inappropriate. To help limit the type of content your child is exposed to on the platform, it is recommended that they only post and interact with known friends within the app.

While BeReal offers a different type of photo sharing experience for its users, it is possible that some users may still compare their posts with others, or use the platform to showcase how ‘real’ and exciting their lives are. Some users may feel inclined to post in-the-moment photos that they may not otherwise share if given more thinking time before posting. The two-minute time frame within which users have to post their photos may put additional pressure on some users, resulting in them posting images they may later regret. Remind you child what is and is not appropriate to post online, and to talk to you if they encounter content they find disturbing or upsetting.

Connecting with others

When users download the app, it syncs with the contacts on that device, creating a list of friends to connect with. By default, BeReal only allows users to share their posts with their friends. However, all users can select their audience for each post, choosing between ‘Friends’ or ‘Everyone’. It is recommended that younger users only share their posts with ‘Friends’. If your child chooses to share their post with ‘Everyone’, all other users on the platform will be able to view and comment on their post.  Speak to your child about the risks of connecting with strangers and explain the importance of not sharing any personal or identifiable information within their posts. Encourage them to tell you if they have been asked more personal questions or to chat privately using a different app.

Similarly, the ‘Friends of Friends’ and tagging features of BeReal seek to expand the audience of a user’s BeReal to beyond their trusted friend’s list. They can result in younger users being contacted by users they do not know, even if they share a mutual friend. We recommend parents work with their children to ensure the appropriate privacy settings are applied to their account to prevent these features from exposing their BeReals beyond their friend list. Parents should also encourage their children to only accept friend requests from people they know offline.

Users of BeReal can react to other user’s posts through ‘Comments’ and ‘RealMojis’. The use of these features may expose your child to bullying behaviours. To help limit harmful interactions, it is recommended your child only shares content with known friends within the app. If your child experiences bullying on the platform, encourage them to report the users by following the instructions in the ‘Reporting and blocking’ section of this app guide.

The RealGroup feature of the app allows users to send private messages and BeReals only accessible to other group members. As with other messaging platforms, ensure your child knows who they are talking to and encourage them to speak to you if they see anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. Help them report any inappropriate or harmful messages by following our guide below under ‘Reporting and blocking’.

When users download BeReal, they are invited to enable location settings, which allows the app to track where they have posted from in the world, showing their location on a map with each post. While this feature does not actively allow users to track the real-time location of other users, it is recommended that location settings are disabled using the settings listed in the ‘Managing interactions and content’ section of this app guide.

User behaviour

The simple design of the platform means it is very easy for users to engage with. Unlike many other social media platforms, BeReal does not have any effects or filters users can apply to their photos, allowing for more authentic images. However, BeReal does allow users to retake their photos, telling their friends how many times that photo was taken. For some users, this could lead to anxiety, feeling they may be judged by others. The time pressure of photo sharing could also lead to some users posting content that they may later regret. If your child has a BeReal account, it is important that they are aware of what they share and the impact this will have on their digital footprint. Have a conversation with your child to help them understand what is and is not appropriate for them to share.  Ensure your child knows it can be difficult to keep ownership of any content once it has been shared online, as content can easily be copied and reposted without their knowledge and can then become difficult to remove from the internet. BeReal does have a feature which notifies users when their post has been screen shotted. However, this safeguard does not prevent the onward sharing of that image, so users should think carefully about the content they choose to share in their posts.  

Design, data and costs

The persuasive design of the BeReal app means that that it can be difficult for users to manage their usage of it, particularly if failing to post daily will affect the streak score displayed on their profile. The app’s notification dependence means users are constantly being reminded and alerted to engage with the app by sharing a photo or commenting on those posted by friends. Daily notification reminders are sent to users, prompting them to post in real time at randomised times, day or night. If a user fails to post, the notification reminder will remain on the device lock screen, with a timer reminding the user how late their post is. The level of urgency and implied time constraints of the notifications can be very difficult for some users to manage. Explain to your child how the platform is designed to keep users engaged for longer periods of time. This can put some users under pressure and can lead to anxiety when they are unable to respond to notifications with the two-minute time frame. Work with your child to set realistic time limits and boundaries for using the app.  

Tips for keeping your child safe

Additional tips

As with many other social media platforms, the pressure to respond to notifications immediately can be overwhelming for some users. The two-minute time frame of the BeReal notifications could be disruptive and overwhelming for some users. Talk to your child about using the notification settings on their device to help manage this pressure and reassure them that meeting the time frame is not essential in order to enjoy using this app with their friends.