The Saturn app is exploding in popularity among high schoolers, but parents are raising the alarm about serious privacy issues for kids
The new school year is starting, and that means kids’ social calendars are exploding with orientations, sports events, and club meet-ups, among other things. But gone are the days of paper calendars and invites. Now, kids are flocking to alternatives like the Saturn app, which has seen huge growth after being marketed as a way for high schoolers to find their classmates, sync their schedules, and keep up with social events at their schools.
Saturn allows students to register with their school and graduation year, then see who is in all of their classes, post and view bulletins of school events, and exchange direct messages with other students. The app is billed as a “social calendar,” acting as a planner where students can keep up with school and social events, homework deadlines, and class schedules, but also chat with their friends. So while many are claiming it’s an app to replace paper planners, it’s really a form of social media.
But what’s worse is the Saturn app is facing scrutiny from parents who are concerned about the privacy features (or lack thereof) for the teens who download and use it. One dad, Chris Cullum, posted on Facebook about how he was able to create an account, posing as an eighth grader, and gain access to 350 kids’ class schedules and profile pictures. The app claims it verifies kids’ identities by requiring them to register with a school email address, but Cullum said he was able to easily circumvent that requirement by using his phone number and a fake graduation year. He was able to lie about who his teacher was to see any class roster (even accessing girls’ athletic team rosters) and view the location, date, time, and list of student attendees of an upcoming football game. Cullum even received friend requests (which he didn’t accept) from multiple students.
“The app indicates you would need to verify you are a student (using a school email) to see the schedules of the other students. But this is not exactly true. I was able to input a bogus schedule (choosing from a list of teachers the app provided) and see who was in any class. I was even able to see a girls athletic team roster. It then told me who all had joined my classes. And then, simply by changing the teachers on my own schedule, I was able to see who was in ANY class. So, it’s not unreasonable to think that a predator or intruder could compile a full schedule for any student in the app without ever having to fully log in,” Cullum wrote. “But the reality is, even if the app did require an official login, it’s still allowing anyone in the school to see my daughter’s schedule- a bully, a stalker, an unwanted admirer, a mean girl, etc.”
He continued, “But the app doesn’t stop there. Each student’s profile allows them to upload a photo, a description of themselves (which some did) and add links to their Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Venmo, or any website they choose. I was able to click the student’s links and watch some reels right there in the Saturn app- thus gaining more information about them. There is also a Direct Message feature available for private discussions, which is unlocked once you verify yourself using a school email address. So, anyone who has logged in, can now DM your student. Taking this a step further, I realized I could change my profile name, even if it matched another student in the app. What would stop me from cyber-bullying using another student’s name?”
Protect Young Eyes, an organization that investigates internet safety for kids, also reviewed the Saturn app, and raised similar concerns. In testing the app, they were able to create an account and join a school, then post a message that was viewable by 800 students in that school—all without verifying anything about their identity. What’s worse is that they were also able to access a list of the names and ages of all the students at that school, along with links to many of their Snapchat accounts.
The bottom line? The Saturn app is a privacy nightmare, and unless the creators behind it make serious changes that require all users to verify their identities before they can join school groups and communicate with other students, no kid should be using this app.
Privacy is more important to parents than ever, regardless of their kids’ ages. For those who want to share special moments with friends and family without making it a public display, there’s the Tinybeans app (you can learn more and download here!). The secure platform puts parents in total control of who sees and interacts with photos and videos of their kids.
