A Week in Their World

Has your child ever asked to download an app, and you had no idea what they were talking about? Your response to that question determines your child's safety online. We encourage parents to thoroughly explore the games and apps their children engage with so that you can be in the know about everything that can happen. Parents should use the app for a week, creating a profile of the same age and gender, and interacting as their child would. This allows parents to decide if the app or game is suitable for their child. The questions below highlight app features to consider when vetting an app and explain why they are so important.

• Does the app allow communication (voice chats, messaging, etc.)?

Communication features, like messaging, can lack proper accountability, increasing risks of children being cyberbullied, experiencing predatory behavior, and other malicious activities from strangers and people familiar to them. Pay attention to who is reaching out to your trial account.

• Is location tracking enabled, making location visible to strangers?

Strangers should not have access to a child’s location. Disabling this feature is one precaution to take, along with teaching children not to share private information.

• Are there live-stream capabilities?

Live streaming can expose children to pornography, predators who encourage sexual acts through comments and private messaging, cyberbullying, and leaking private information. This can happen whether the child is watching or filming a live stream.

• Does the app gamify user engagement with streaks, leaderboards, or other potentially addictive design features?

These features are designed to hold attention, encouraging children to go beyond balanced screen time, causing screen addiction.

• Are there in-app purchases or ads targeting your children?

These games obscure the real cost of virtual purchases and can foster gambling habits. Predators can also use in-app purchases (Robux, coins, etc.) to groom children and build trust. Ads can expose children to inappropriate sexual or violent content. In addition, observe what type of content they are being pushed in their feed aside from ads.

• Does this app have a history of incidents, complaints, or security issues that may indicate potential risks to users? 

Research what families are saying about platforms, and whether there are any legal incidents. Watch Safety with Ryan on the HeartMatters app or YouTube. SWR is a resource that reviews apps, ensuring they are safe for children.

Look out for more Parenting AlphaZ tips in our next newsletter.