In early August when Saturn, a time management app, became popular at his daughter’s school, a parent named Chris Cullum created an account to check the app out himself. Shockingly, he found that by making up a graduation year and fake classes, he could communicate with and access student information from thousands of schools across the country. Since sharing this revelation on Facebook, many other parents including some at Saratoga High have become concerned about the app’s safety issues.
Saturn allows students to upload their schedules and connect with peers. It is marketed as a “calendar for high school.” Launched in 2018, it surged in popularity in recent years and now has over 25,000 users, with multiple LGSUHSD students included in that statistic.
Saturn has features such as direct messaging and public and private accounts that liken it to other social media platforms.
The danger is that anyone can easily create an account, fool the app into thinking they’re a legitimate school member and access private information about potentially vulnerable teens.
“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 in a Facebook post on Aug. 10. “Each student’s profile allows them to upload a photo, a description of themselves 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.”
Cullum’s post reached many across Facebook, including parents within the LGSUHSD. According to LGSUHSD’s Public Information and Engagement Officer, Tanya De La Cruz, a parent reached out to the district at the start of the school year with similar concerns to Cullum’s regarding the app, and requested guidelines on how to engage safely with the platform.
She stressed the district is not affiliated to the app in any way and thus did not provide guidelines other than sending out an informational email.
In addition, De La Cruz said that, as a precaution, students will not be able to create an account on the app using their district email, and the app is also inaccessible when logged onto school WiFi. Schools across the country are taking the same steps.
“We encourage families to talk with their students about any social media app they’re using,” De La Cruz said. “We genuinely want to be sure our students are safe and understand the harmful possibilities that can occur through social media sites.”
