Have you heard of Saturn?
Written by Lisa Johnson
No, not the planet with the rings, but the app that’s exploding in popularity among high schoolers across the country. It’s a calendar and chat app that allows students to find their classmates, sync their schedules, and keep up with social events at their schools. While we think it can be a fun and helpful tool, there are also potential privacy issues that we want to make you aware of.
What is Saturn?
Saturn is a mobile app that was created in 2018 by Dylan Diamond, a high school student who was frustrated managing his school’s confusing “block schedule.” The app is now available at thousands of high schools in the U.S. and expanding quickly. It combines an online student calendar with social media functionality. Once logged in and verified with a school, students can input their classes and activities, share their schedule with friends, see who is in their classes, post events in the bulletin section and chat with friends and groups. Students can also link their other social media accounts to Saturn and share posts from those accounts.
Saturn uses notifications to keep students up to date on assignments, cancellations, schedule changes, and friend requests. Students can keep their schedules private or make them shareable with other students in their school. Communities are closed so only students who attend each specific school can join that school’s network. Students can block specific users. Administrators and teachers at each school can use Saturn to keep track of their schedule and organize their school days but may not communicate with students on Saturn. The app generates lists of courses using publicly available information from school websites and the Department of Education. It also uses volunteer student “ambassadors” to ensure that the pre-populated course schedules are accurate.
How does it work?
- Students download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
- Then they must sign in with their high school email address.
- When the email is verified as belonging to a registered school, the students are logged in and can add their classes from pre-populated list of courses at their school.
- Once the classes are added, students can monitor their schedule in real-time with a “shot clock” timer. It tells students how much time is left in a class and what class is next.
- Students can set reminders and due dates, as well as entering notes about their homework assignments – this gives a way to “crowdsource” their homework notes by collecting info from other students in the same class.
- If a student’s school is not currently a registered school, they can email the company at support@saturn.com or apply to become a Saturn Ambassador at www.joinsaturn.com.
Is this a safe app?
On August 10, 2023, a parent posted to Facebook various concerns about the safety of Saturn. The parent that made the post was able to lie about his age and use a phone number as a login ID to gain access to the app. He was then able to access high school students’ class schedules, pictures, information, and personal social media accounts with no further verification steps required. The concern that he pointed out was that someone with ill intentions, like predators or scammers, could sign up for the app and gain access to students’ accounts. The post ultimately went viral and has led many to question the app’s safety.
The good news is that this all led to a Saturn software update with enhanced safety features. On August 14th, Saturn went live with “a suite of improvements” to strengthen verification and keep unverified users “walled off from verified users and their information.” Now, to be verified, users must provide a school email address. Without entering one, they are unable to see any information on the app. Unverified users can build a schedule but can’t see who else is in the class or access any other features. They also can’t chat with other students in the school or post any other information and can’t even view school news and events. We attempted to create a fake account on the Saturn app but without a school email address, we were unable to get past the verification locks. Eventually, a user that fails to verify an account is removed, according to the Saturn website. The changes that Saturn has recently made to their software are a huge improvement and make it a much safer tool for high school students.
What should students know to stay safe on Saturn?
Privacy – Any Saturn user at a school can view public schedules. When in private mode, a schedule is blocked from all members of a high school. However, the owner of the schedule can approve users to view their schedule. We recommend students opt for this method so that they can control who is able to see their schedule. If they do choose to keep their accounts public, we recommend they block users whom they do not know in person. Students can make their accounts private by going to Profile -Menu – Edit profile – Private. To block a user, go to the user’s profile, hit the 3 dots, and then hit block.
Personal Information – Students should be reminded not to share any personally identifiable information on Saturn or any other social media platform. This includes information like phone numbers, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, home addresses, financial or medical information.
Follow Guidelines – Students must be aware of and follow Saturn’s strict community guidelines intended to keep the app safe and positive. Students should be reminded that bullying is wrong and violates Saturn’s guidelines.
Communicate with Trusted Adults – Parents and teachers need to create open lines of communication. Students need to let a trusted adult know if they are ever on the receiving end of bullying or unwanted content. Parents should also talk with their students about how they are using this app.
Reporting – Students should immediately report any abuse or misuse of the app. To do this, go to Settings, tap on the mail icon, and the mail client on your device will be brought up with the Saturn address in it or email concerns to: support@joinsaturn.com.
Does Smart Gen Society recommend the Saturn app?
At Smart Gen we believe that the use of any digital media needs to be a decision made in cooperation with informed parents and students. Both must be aware that any app that allows for communication and interaction has the potential to be misused and that it is important to follow safety guidelines listed above. If used safely, we believe that this app can be a great tool to make the hectic lives of high schoolers easier, better organized and more productive.
