Qustodio’s brand new social monitoring feature is here to ensure your kids stay safe in all their online communications. While platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram provide opportunities to connect with friends, they also come with the risk of exposure to cyberbullying, scams, and predators. You can now put your mind at ease with AI-powered alerts that let you know if your child has any concerning conversations on their favorite platforms. Read on for full details.

What is social monitoring?

Qustodio’s social monitoring feature enables you to keep an eye on the messages your child sends via WhatsApp, Line, and Instagram. It does all the work for you: you’ll immediately receive a push notification and an email if your child sends or receives a message you should know about, so you don’t have to look through all their conversations yourself! You’ll be the first to know if they have any discussions related to topics like:

• Bullying
• Violence
• Body image
• Drugs
• Depression
• School absence
• Illegal activity

You’ll also be able to see more details about the conversation in your child’s activity timeline to understand the bigger picture. Keeping an eye on all these topics will help you know what’s on your child’s mind so you can tackle any issues before they become more worrying.

How it works

The apps you can monitor depend on the device your child uses:

• You can receive alerts for WhatsApp and Line if your child uses an Android or iOS device. 
• You can receive alerts for Instagram DMs if your child uses an Android device

Social alerts are automatically enabled if your child has these apps on their device and you are a Premium Complete subscriber. If you want to turn them off – either completely or for a particular app – then head to your child’s Rules page and select Social monitoring. There, you can use the toggles to decide which apps you want to see in your child’s activity timeline, and whether you receive a push notification and email for them.

We’re excited to release this new feature and help you ensure your kids are enjoying healthy social media interactions, while also making it easier for you to open up conversations about staying safe when they’re most needed.

Technology has been slowly gaining ground in education since the 90s, but we can thank the pandemic for the boom in educational technology (edtech). With students learning from home, the lockdown showed us the potential of technology in academia and transformed it from an aid to an essential education tool.

At Qustodio, we recognize the amazing opportunities that tech can offer children while acknowledging the drawbacks and safety risks. That’s why we’ve put together these 19 questions you might want to ask your child’s teacher about tech in the classroom.

For easier navigation, we’ve divided the questions into 3 categories: Learning, Digital wellbeing, and Security.

Learning

From comprehensive learning platforms like Google Classroom and GradPoint to gamified learning tools like Quizlet and Kahoot, technology can offer a more interactive and fun way of learning for many students. 

• How can you ensure students focus on learning, and not be distracted when using devices?

• How do you balance screen time with traditional learning methods to ensure a well-rounded education?

• Which apps or platforms are students required to use, and how can we support their use at home?

• How much does AI play a role in learning?

• What measures are in place to prevent overreliance on AI and AI plagiarism?

Cybersecurity

As technology use in education continues to grow, schools are forced to consider stronger security measures. In 2023 alone, 954 data breaches in US schools and colleges were recorded – more than 7 times 2022’s figure. 

As well as solutions to guard against cyberattacks, schools also have the responsibility to educate children on the dangers of sharing personal information online; especially when we consider that children are commonly targeted by scammers. 

• Is there content filtering or other safety controls in place?

• What measures are in place to protect students’ privacy and personal information?

• What data is being collected by devices and learning platforms and how is it used? 

• How do you educate students about online safety and the importance of protecting their personal information?

• What steps are taken to ensure that the apps and websites used in the classroom are secure and safe for student use?

• What training do teachers and staff receive regarding cybersecurity and protecting student data?

Digital wellbeing

With devices being such an integral part of family life, having a healthy relationship with technology is more important than ever. We can help children practice good digital habits by regulating their screen time and making sure they consume appropriate content; as well as safeguarding them from online dangers like cyberbullying and predation.

• How much time per day are students spending on a device? And are there mandated breaks?

• Will my child be required to use a device to complete homework or study at home?

• How do you monitor students’ online activities and ensure that they’re behaving responsibly?

• How do you protect students from interacting with inappropriate material?

• How would you deal with cyberbullying?

• Do you teach children about online predators?

• How do you prevent children from being dependent on screens?

• Do you teach students about digital literacy and online etiquette?

Healthy digital wellbeing requires parents and educators to be involved with kids’ device use, working together to create a balanced, safe environment both in and out of the classroom. Although the tech-in-schools topic isn’t limited to these 19 questions, we hope one or two serve as jumping-off points for a constructive conversation. 

Getting kids to cut down on screen time is one of the biggest challenges parents face  today. In this age of rapidly changing technology and crisis after crisis, much of what we do feels like we are part of some big experiment. 

As parents, we’re overwhelmed. It can sometimes feel like we’ve tried every method in the book to get our children to step away from the screen. The most common approaches depend on your parenting style: ranging from authoritarian to permissive. Which of them really works?

Here are the 4 main ways parents typically ask their children to turn screens off, and how they usually play out:

1. Authoritarian

Parent: “Turn off the phone.”

Child: “Why?”

Parent: “Because I said so.”

Authoritarian parenting is well-summarized by the saying “Do as I say, not as I do.” In reality, approaches aside: We’ve all been there. So fed up with having said the same thing over and over that we feel this is the last and only resort to getting our child to do what we want. Authoritarian parenting uses strict rules, and demands high standards.

Once in a while, this probably won’t hurt, but if it’s your only recourse, it’s important to remember that a child who submits to an order that they don’t understand gets used to obeying orders, and doing what they are asked to do without taking into account their needs or interests. 

2. Punishment-driven

“Turn off the phone now! Put it down now or else! Turn it off, didn’t you hear me?“

Yelling, screaming and other aggressive ways of communicating may get instant results, but they often also produce fear and insecurity and can result in children being afraid of making mistakes or disappointing their parents. 

Children who are often screamed at tend to end up with low self-esteem. Screaming and shouting can often be an indication of stress or negative triggers – we all know how overwhelming being a parent is! It’s important to take a look at those moments where you might have trouble keeping your anger in check, such as in times of high stress, and seek help and support.

3. Permissive

Children in permissive parenting situations have the freedom to make their own decisions: it’s up to them when they switch off their phone, or put their computer away. Children who are allowed to make their own choices generally have good self-esteem, but on the flip side, they often have difficulty self-regulating, as they can easily act on impulse. If your goal is to have kids spend less time behind devices, even establishing some base rules helps them know what to expect and how to act accordingly.

4. Calm and factual

“We are going to turn off your tablet in 2 minutes. You cannot keep watching it because too much screen time is not good for you. Let’s talk about why! Too much time on your tablet is not good for your brain or your body. 

When you read a book, your brain works, and when we play outside together, your body works. Exercising your brain and body is healthy and will make you happy. How about you use your tablet again after dinner?”

Asking in this calm, fact-based style encourages self-confident, responsible and happy children. This clear style of communication is one of the healthiest ways of interacting with our children, and it can be adapted as children grow, showing openness and flexibility, but with limits that are non-negotiable. We set rules that we hope they will follow, but we also know that there are exceptions to those rules and we help them get back on track.

The best way to ask your child to switch off the screen

Getting down to your child’s level (in the case of young children), or sitting down with them, gently explaining the why behind things while looking them in the eye is the best approach. Many children don’t really understand why they shouldn’t be in front of a screen for so long, and it doesn’t help either if they see their parents glued to one for much of the day. 

Screaming and anger might work in the moment, but in the long run, it’s dialogue and consistency that gets the best results. In general, when we explain the reasons why to children, and when we are consistent, it’s easier for them to follow the rules. When parents are firm but calm, listen to the child’s point of view and explain why something is bad instead of punishing them, their children grow up to be happier, more responsible, determined and successful, with higher self-esteem.

Of course there is not just one way to parent. And we all make mistakes. It is not easy and we shouldn’t feel guilty: but we must find a balance between what is best for them and for us.

It’s important to remember that developing self-control is usually difficult for children, especially when it comes to technology. But staying calm and explaining why we do things goes a long way for kids. This factual style is true for all conflicts, and screen time is a great chance to practice using it – your efforts will be rewarded in the future.

In 2023, CapCut was the 3rd most downloaded app in the US behind Temu and CapCut’s sister app, TikTok. Owned by ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, CapCut is an easy-to-use video editor hugely popular with creators who want to produce eye-catching content for their social media accounts.

If your child likes to post on TikTok or create content for other platforms, there’s a good chance that they use CapCut. Although the app can be a fun, useful editing tool for creative kids, there are a few concerns we feel parents need to be aware of.

What is CapCut?

Launched in China in 2019 and internationally a year later, CapCut is a video editing app designed for creating engaging short-form content for its sister app TikTok, and other social media platforms. Suitable for beginners and advanced creators, CapCut offers tools like frame-by-frame editing, filters and effects, stickers and captions, subtitles, and music and sound effects.

One of CapCut’s most popular features is Templates. These are user-shared TikTok videos that you can download and edit with your own clips, photos, captions, etc., to create professional-looking videos with little effort.  

Although there are in-app purchases, CapCut is free and available on iOS, Android, desktop, and the web. 

Is there an age requirement for CapCut?

According to its community guidelines, users must be 13 or older to have a CapCut account. However, there is no age verification and users can scroll templates and do basic editing without signing up for an account. 

Is CapCut safe for kids? What to watch out for

As CapCut is easy to use, it can be a great app for children to dip their toes into video editing and hone their creative skills. That being said, there are aspects of the app that might concern parents of young users.

Inappropriate content 

Templates are user-shared video creations that can be downloaded and edited by other users. Although template creators have to be approved by CapCut, scrolling through templates becomes an almost identical experience to using TikTok, with every chance to encounter nudity, profanity, and other content inappropriate for young children. 

Possibility of connecting with strangers

While there’s no direct messaging on CapCut, it’s still possible for strangers to follow your child’s account and interact with them through comments on templates. What’s more, when a user leaves a comment on a template, strangers can click to see the user’s profile and even click through to their linked TikTok account. Without proper parental controls, this could open the doors for sexual predators, cyberbullies, sextorters, and other dangerous individuals lurking online.  

In-app purchases

While users can download CapCut and do basic editing for free, your child could still fritter away money on in-app purchases, such as through a CapCut Pro subscription, exclusive templates, premium effects, filters, stickers, and more. 

Data privacy concerns

Like TikTok, CapCut is owned by ByteDance, a company that’s made headlines for allegedly storing US user data in China. As for data retention, CapCut’s privacy policy does not clarify how long data is stored or state clear data retention policies.

Permissions such as access to the camera, microphone, storage, and location can be turned off but may impact the app’s video editing functionality. 

Lack of age verification and parental controls

CapCut’s community guidelines state that users must be 13, but as there are no age verification procedures in place, children younger can easily access everything on the app – even without logging in. 

Despite CapCut featuring TikTok content and allowing users to follow and comment on templates, the app is classed as a video editor and does not have the parental controls that have come to be expected on social media apps like TikTok. 

CapCut: Qustodio’s safety recommendations

CapCut is a well-reviewed app that can help your child show off and hone their video editing skills. However, if you have concerns about your child using TikTok, you might think twice about letting them use CapCut as the platform offers unrestricted access to TikTok content. The safety risks of exposure to inappropriate content, data privacy, lack of parental controls, and the potential for child-adult interactions mean we cannot recommend CapCut for children under 13. 

If your older children want to exercise their creativity with CapCut, keep in mind the following safety tips:

1. Don’t link TikTok accounts

If your child’s TikTok account is linked to their CapCut profile, users can follow and potentially interact with your child on TikTok where the risk of predation is high – especially without appropriate parental controls in place. 

2. Report inappropriate content

CapCut’s templates are a mixed bag of TikTok content that sometimes contains nudity and profanity. To report content, click the 3 dots to the right of the video to open a menu, then select report.

3. Talk about the risks of interacting with strangers

Although CapCut isn’t a social app, it’s still possible to connect with others through comments and linked accounts. By encouraging open conversations about online dangers, your child will feel more comfortable opening up when they encounter something troubling. 

4. Disable unnecessary permissions 

To keep data as safe as possible, it’s a good idea to review what you allow CapCut to access and disable any permissions that aren’t necessary, such as location services. 

5. Use parental controls 

Even though the app exposes children to the same kind of content found on TikTok, CapCut doesn’t have in-built parental controls like its sister app. To ensure your child uses CapCut responsibly, consider using comprehensive parental control tools like those offered by Qustodio. With Qustodio, you can block CapCut from being opened, receive an alert when your child tries to use it, and set time limits for its usage.

CapCut is a super-popular video editing app that makes creating social media content easy and fun. A video editor might not scream danger, but scrolling CapCut’s templates can be very similar to using TikTok – it’s easy to find content containing nudity and profanity, and strangers can potentially connect with children via comments. However, by following a few precautions, such as adhering to the age requirement of 13+, and not linking accounts, you can help your child have a fun and safe time creating videos they love.

Bullies are no longer confined to the school playground: nowadays, 56% of all bullying occurs through texts and messaging apps. Keeping an eye on your kids’ messages is therefore increasingly important, but can be difficult when your kids are sending and receiving so many texts each day. Qustodio’s new message alerts are here to help: they’ll let you know immediately if there’s something you need to be aware of.

About message alerts

This brand new feature will send you an email and a push notification straight away if your child sends or receives a concerning text. Covering SMS and iMessage, Qustodio’s advanced AI technology is able to detect over 20 types of threats, from bullying and self harm to school absences and health worries. As well as being able to tackle any problems as soon as they arise, this also means you can give your child more privacy if you want to, by just checking their concerning texts rather than reading every single one.

How it works

Message alerts are available for all Premium Complete subscribers and activating them is easy. If your child uses an Android device, you just need to make sure that you’ve installed the full version of the Kids App from the Qustodio website (the one from the Google Play Store doesn’t allow SMS monitoring). If your child uses an iPhone, then install the Calls & messages app on your own computer. 

Once you’ve done that, message alerts will  be switched on automatically! To turn the alerts on and off, go to the Alerts section in your child’s calls & messages rules page. Note that turning them off will stop you from receiving notifications, but you’ll continue to see concerning conversations highlighted in your child’s activity timeline.

We hope that this new feature brings you peace of mind when it comes to your child’s texting habits, and helps you open up conversations at the right time.

Is there a parent in the world who hasn’t heard of Roblox? 

The gaming platform has upward of 80 million daily users and has solidified itself as a firm kid favorite. The simple and colorful graphics, addictive gameplay, and limitless creative possibilities add up to make Roblox a huge hit with children everywhere. 

According to our latest Annual Data Report, 1 in every 2 kids use Roblox (making it the most popular app overall) and spend an average of 2 hours 10 minutes daily playing and creating games on the platform.

Although Roblox has good points, there are safety issues that parents need to be aware of. We’ve shared some of the big ones along with 7 tips for keeping your child safe while they have fun in the Roblox universe.

What is Roblox?

Roblox is an online gaming platform and app that allows users to play and create games, or experiences as they’re referred to on the platform. Users can choose to play open-world games created by others or create their own using the building tool, Roblox Studio. Although Roblox itself and some games are free, many are pay-to-play or encourage users to make in-game purchases with Robux, the game’s own virtual currency.

Each Roblox user is represented by an avatar – a character that can be customized with free and purchasable body parts, accessories, clothing, and much more. 

It might seem like Roblox is a recent addition to the digital world, but it’s been around for quite a while. The first incarnation of Roblox was released in 2006, making it older than the iPhone and an antique in technological terms. The platform had a relatively small following for years until its popularity exploded in the late 2010s and even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. While their parents were Zooming, kids were whiling away lockdowns around the world by playing, creating, and chatting to their friends on Roblox. 

Why do kids like Roblox?

“Like” might be an understatement. Obsessed may be more accurate. 

The pandemic drew a lot of kids to Roblox as the games entertained and allowed them to socialize with their friends when real-life interactions were impossible. Parents would connect with other parents to arrange gaming sessions for their little ones, relieved knowing their kids could keep up their social connections during a difficult time. 

Along with the cute Lego-like characters and colorful worlds, there are several possible reasons Roblox has become such a hit among kids.

• It’s very social. Games can be places for your child to hang out and chat with their friends.
• Kids can enjoy open-ended play. As a “sandbox game”, Roblox allows the player to explore the game environment freely – without being constrained to achieving specific objectives. 
• It’s a creative outlet. Kids love being able to customize their avatars, build houses, and even create games on Roblox. 
• It has Adopt Me! This multi-player game within the Roblox universe is hugely popular with kids as they spend hours adopting, trading, raising, and caring for virtual pets – from cats and dogs to dragons and unicorns.  
• It’s just fun. Some games require teamwork and creative thinking, whereas others lie on the “silly fun” end of the spectrum. Either way, Roblox is a super-engaging and creative outlet for kids. 

What’s the age rating for Roblox?

Generally speaking, Roblox doesn’t have a minimum age for its users – instead, each game has a recommended age guideline. Games can be suitable for All Ages, 9+, 13+, and 17+. For 17+ games, the user must verify their age by uploading a selfie and a photo of their government-issued ID.

While Roblox allows users of all ages to play, and chat with others on the platform, the App Store gives Roblox a 12+ rating while Google Play Store recommends Parental Guidance. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that provides age-based media reviews to families, rates Roblox as suitable for users aged 13+.   

Without an official age rating or verification requirements, there’s nothing stopping children of any age from playing games, joining groups, and chatting with others online. 

Does Roblox have parental controls?

Yes, but they probably aren’t enough.

Roblox allows parents to set up account restrictions for their child that can only be changed once a parent PIN is entered – if one is set. Here, you have safety options to prevent your child from being added to servers, disable chat with strangers, turn off the camera, and more. You can also set monthly spending limits so your child doesn’t blow the family savings on Robux.

When logged in, parents can also see their child’s activity on Roblox, such as their friends and followers; chat and private messages; and purchase history. 

While it’s great that Roblox has parental control features, they’re not mandatory and kids can simply create an account and start playing without restrictions. And if you do set restrictions, kids can change them if you haven’t linked your email and set a parental PIN. 

For users under 13, Roblox automatically applies stricter settings, but your child can change these if you haven’t set a PIN. Your child can also get around these stricter settings by falsifying their date of birth when creating the account.

Is Roblox safe for kids? 

With over half of all 7-9-year-olds playing, it’s not surprising that parents of young children are concerned about the safety aspects of Roblox – and they should be. 

After spending time on Roblox and speaking to other parents about their kids’ experiences on the platform, here are the main safety concerns we think you should be aware of. 

Potential for adult-child interactions

Like with most multi-player gaming platforms, Roblox users can send messages and chat to others in-game as well as on the Roblox app or website. So without taking safety measures, your child could connect with sexual predators, groomers, sextortionists, and other dangerous users.

Roblox acknowledges the importance of keeping adults away from kids and has features to help prevent it. 

• All chat on Roblox is filtered to prevent personally identifiable information from being visible. 
• Chat is monitored by humans to spot attempts to lure a user to another chat platform.   
• Parents can set up restrictions on chat that can be secured with a parental PIN. 
• If your child is under 13, Roblox claims to make “it extremely difficult for strangers to contact them” by imposing stricter measures on chat and restricting voice chat.

Despite these measures, people with bad intentions will always find ways to get into kids’ chats – and there are plenty of devastating stories about the consequences.

“Condos” and inappropriate content

One of Roblox’s main appeals is the freedom a user has to create games, avatar clothing, and more – but on the flip side, this means young players can encounter things a parent wouldn’t want them to.

Despite Roblox having rules and making efforts to moderate user-generated content, plenty slips through the cracks. Examples include games featuring simulated sex acts, graphic violence, and bad language.

The worst of this takes place in “condos” – basically sex-based games that blatantly violate Roblox’s terms of service. Condos are where users go to talk about sex and to simulate sex via their avatars. According to the BBC, “much of what is written on chats in condos is unprintable on a grown-up news website, let alone a children’s game.”

Condos are usually only discoverable for a short time, often less than an hour, as the Roblox team plays whack-a-mole trying to remove them as new ones appear.

Online dating

Roblox isn’t a dating platform and its rules prohibit chat that’s sexual in nature, but that doesn’t stop ODers (online daters) from using games such as MeepCity to find romantic partners.    

While most ODers are just looking to connect with other ODers, knowing that adults are using Roblox for this purpose is a red flag for any parent. 

In-app purchases 

Roblox is free to download and use. The platform makes its money by selling Robux which users can spend on games, clothing and accessories for their avatars, and more.

Some kids have become big spenders on the platform – without their parents knowing. There are stories from all over the world of parents discovering monster credit card bills thanks to their Roblox-loving kids.   

Scams

Scams are rife in most corners of the internet and Roblox is no exception. On Roblox, scammers often exploit the naivety of children to con them out of Robux or gain access to their accounts and personal information. 

There are several sophisticated scams to be aware of, including “free Robux”. This is when a user is promised Robux in exchange for completing surveys, clicking on links, or sharing personal information. Players give away sensitive information or access to their accounts for Robux that never materialize. 

Trading scams are also common. For example, a scammer might offer a high-value item for several lower-value ones, only to swap the item for a worthless one at the last minute.

Gaming addiction

On average, kids spend over 2 hours daily on Roblox – but some are clocking up many more. 

Around 2% of children and adolescents are considered to be addicted to gaming – and yes, gaming addiction is a real thing. Health organizations have officially recognized the condition Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a pattern of excessive and compulsive gaming behavior that leads to significant impairment or distress.

Roblox’s creativity, challenge, novelty, strong social aspect, and in-game purchases hammer that dopamine release button and keep kids coming back for more.   

7 ways to make Roblox safer for your child

Roblox’s popularity isn’t going away any time soon – and despite the potential dangers, the platform offers kids valuable opportunities to play, create, and hang out with their friends.

If your child is a Robloxian, or you’re considering allowing your child to play, here are 7 ways to help make their Roblox experience a safe and happy one. 

1. Show an interest

Talk to your child about their favorite games, their avatar, and ask if you can watch them play – or even play yourself. This will give you a better understanding of Roblox and open the doors to conversation. 

As well as discovering areas where you might need to tighten safety settings, taking an interest may make your child feel more comfortable talking to you about troubling things they encounter on the platform. 

2. Ensure your child’s correct age is entered

Roblox allows access to games appropriate to the user’s age and automatically applies stricter safety settings for users under 13. Age verification is only for 17+ users so you may have to check that your child’s account has the right date of birth.

3. Set a parental PIN

Roblox’s parental controls allow you to set safety restrictions on your child’s account that can only be changed with your parental PIN. However, setting a PIN isn’t mandatory and if you forget, your child can simply remove or modify the restrictions. 

4. Disable your child’s chat or set to friends-only 

Once you’ve set your parental PIN, you can set account restrictions related to chat, the camera, setting spending limits, and more. 

To prevent strangers from interacting with your child, we strongly recommend you limit the people who can contact your child to “friends” or “no one”. This is the default setting for under 13s. 

Ensure your child knows how to block users too.

5. Make sure your child knows the dangers of talking to strangers online

You probably remember the “stranger danger” lectures from your childhood, but children today have to be careful online as well as off. 

Make sure they know the risks of interacting with strangers online, how to identify a predator, and ways to protect themselves from potential harm. 

Child psychologist Dr. Beurkens covers these areas in this useful article: How to talk to your child about online predators.

6. Allow your kids to play in common areas only

When left to use Roblox behind closed doors, your child may be more likely to talk to strangers, play inappropriate games, or attempt to bypass your restrictions. 

A good practice is to only allow play in your home’s living room, kitchen, or family room. This will make it easy for you to supervise their playing, see changes in their behavior, and be able to step in immediately if something worrying happens.

7. Use external parental controls  

Roblox’s account settings can be effective in protecting your child from some of the dangers on the platform, such as interacting with strangers and accessing inappropriate content. 

But for most parents, this won’t be enough. For example, Roblox’s parental controls don’t allow you to control your child’s screen time or block the app from being opened. 

Perhaps the biggest drawback of relying on Roblox’s parental controls is that they require your child’s cooperation to set up and you have to trust they won’t just create a new account without you knowing.

In conjunction with Roblox’s controls, a universal parental control tool like Qustodio can help your child enjoy a safe experience on the platform.  

With Qustodio you can: 

• Monitor the time they spend playing Roblox
• Set time limits to help prevent gaming addiction
• Block the Roblox app from being opened
• Receive an alert when they first use Roblox
• Pause the internet at the push of a button.

Is Roblox safe for kids? Qustodio’s final recommendation

Roblox is a hugely popular gaming platform amongst children of all ages. The platform allows them to play, explore, create, and socialize in an engaging open-world environment. However, its popularity among young users also brings several safety concerns that parents need to be aware of, including the potential for adult-child interactions and exposure to adult content.

With the help of parental controls, supervision, education, and conversation, we can ensure our kids have a fun and safe time on their favorite Roblox games.

Featuring cutesy outfits, fun anime characters, and mini-games where you can ride an orca, Gacha Life sounds like the ideal app for younger kids on paper. But behind the pastel colors, there’s a much darker side to Gacha Life – a toxic user community, violence and abuse, and themes that might raise the hairs on the back of your neck. So, how did this sweet little game build such a bad name for itself online? We explore why parents need to be wary of Gacha Life and whether it’s safe to let kids play. 

What is Gacha Life? 

Gacha Life is an online roleplaying game that lets you play dress-up with anime-inspired characters and act out scenarios with them. It’s popular with younger teens and tweens, mostly because it’s easy to use and the roleplaying possibilities are endless. The app easily allows kids to explore their creativity and storytelling capabilities. 

While the word gacha appears in the title, Gacha Life isn’t a “gacha game”. These are games which push users towards making in-app purchases and spending in-game currency to receive random items. This type of app has been likened to gambling, so it’s important to note that Gacha Life doesn’t share these characteristics – in Japanese, the word gacha refers to a small toy sold from vending machines, which is often given randomly, just like the prizes in gacha games. 

What can you do with Gacha Life?

As a roleplaying game, it all depends on how you want to use the app. Kids can create endless scenarios, but the main features of Gacha Life are:

1. Customizable characters: hair color, outfits, and facial features are fully custom. When you first start using Gacha Life, you can select characters from a preset selection, but then build on them or edit them completely to make them your own. 

2. Studio mode: this function allows players to create scenes with characters, where they can also pose them and add speech bubbles to make them talk and interact with one another.  

3. Mini games: from math quizzes to hitting bunnies in whack-a-mole style, Gacha Life has a selection of mini-games that reward users with gems (the in-game currency of Gacha Life) the higher their score. Higher scores place users onto a global leaderboard. Players can also get more gems by watching in-game ads, or spending real-life money through in-app purchases.

4. Gacha: The Japanese word gacha refers to small toys randomly allocated from a vending machine. In Gacha Life, this is where the random aspect comes in: users spend their in-game Gem currency to collect a series of gacha items, which they can later give to NPCs (non-playable characters).

5. Life mode: in the Life mode section, players can explore, traveling to different parts of the game to meet NPCs and interact with them. Players earn points and progress in levels the more they talk to NPCs, along with other features like giving them gifts and answering quizzes. 

How old do you have to be to play Gacha Life? 

Google Play awards Gacha Life their Everyone label, which means the content is generally considered to be suitable for all ages. The Apple Store, on the other hand, rates it as suitable for ages 9+. Lunime, the developer behind Gacha Life, doesn’t recommend a particular age for gameplay, but as the app collects data, the privacy policy indicates users should be aged 13 and up.

Is Gacha Life for kids?

In theory, Gacha Life is a pretty kid-friendly game – the plots in Life mode are inoffensive, while the games are simplistic and harmless. After all, what parent would be put off by math quizzes, or a character riding a narwhal? 

There are very few red flags within the game itself, and the most parents would need to look out for are some of the outfits kids can dress the characters in, or the ads and in-app purchases that are displayed during gameplay. 

The game comes with a very dark side, however. The problem with Gacha Life is not the game itself, but what users are doing with it. Because the app allows you to create content and upload it to social media, with no moderation within the app itself, searching online for Gacha Life stories and videos can easily bring up sexually explicit and violent content – a far cry from the fun, child-friendly image of the app itself. 

Why is Gacha Life inappropriate? 

Because the gacha characters can be posed any way the user wants, and the chat section allows the player to enter any accompanying text they like, there’s no control over what people can potentially create. Despite millions of users quietly playing away throughout the world, a small, toxic subset of users have created a bad name for Gacha Life online through user-generated content containing:

• Racism
• Sexism
• Homophobia 
• Sexual imagery or storylines

Thanks to the Studio feature, YouTube is host to thousands of Gacha Life videos telling stories containing sexual and adult content. This is also apparent in the high search volumes on Google for Gacha Life porn, Gacha life sex, and Gacha Life p o r n, along with searches on social media for the hashtag “Gacha heat”, a trend in the gacha community where the focal part of the story revolves around sexual imagery, violence and dominant or abusive relationships.

This hashtag often spills over into other Gacha Life hashtags on social media, meaning even if kids aren’t looking for this kind of content, they may be exposed to videos containing upsetting or inappropriate themes. 

Qustodio’s advice for parents

Just looking at the app, Gacha Life is pretty harmless for kids to play, and offers younger children the opportunity to get creative through customization and storytelling. The only things to consider within the game are its extensive “gacha” collectables, in-app purchases, adverts, and data collection for under 13s – kids should be careful not to enter any personal information anywhere. 

The problem with Gacha Life comes with exploring the app on the internet and over social media. Kids can easily be exposed to a host of inappropriate content, trends, and adult imagery, whether they look for it or not. 

To help keep kids safe as they enjoy Gacha Life and other apps:

1. Turn SafeSearch on to act as an automatic porn filter. 
2. Keep an eye on the YouTube videos your child watches, especially the younger they are. Qustodio’s YouTube monitoring feature allows you to see which videos your child has been watching, and uses AI technology to flag problematic YouTube searches so you can react in the moment. 
3. Talk openly to your child about the games they like to play online, and the type of content they access when they go online. By offering yourself up as a safe, non-judgmental space, they’ll be more likely to turn to you if they see something that troubles them.
4. Set time limits on apps and create healthy screen time routines that allow your child to balance their tech use with their offline obligations, family life, and screen-free moments. 
5. Block problematic apps and websites, such as social media platforms, for younger kids who aren’t old enough to be accessing them. Talk to your child about these limits and let them know why it’s important for you to keep them safe online. 
6. Don’t save credit card details on devices and set up profiles for your children that are not connected to your payment details, to avoid any surprise in-app purchases.

By establishing clear family expectations, and being involved in your child’s digital life, you’re more likely to be able to control access to platforms that are inappropriate for younger children, and give them the right support as they play and have fun online.

With TikTok’s future in the US on shaky ground, app developers are frantically trying to capitalize by introducing alternative platforms. Launched early 2024, Scoopz is one of the frontrunners hoping to steal TikTok’s crown as king of video-based social media. 

Scoopz’s age rating of 18 on the Google Play Store suggests that the app isn’t made for children – but we all know that doesn’t stop curious kids from seeing what all the fuss is about!

What is Scoopz?

Scoopz is a short-form video platform in the same vein as TikTok with over 1m downloads on the Play Store. The app promises an ad-free viewing experience, letting you consume an uninterrupted stream of “real” video content. 

Like on TikTok, users can scroll through videos tailored to their interests or watch content from accounts they follow. They can like and dislike videos, and engage with other users through comments. They can also create and share their own videos.

Rather than a copycat app, Scoopz attempts to differentiate itself from its massive rival by appealing to more mature audiences – think local news and community events over challenges and viral dances.

While that might sound reassuring for parents, don’t give your child the green light to download just yet!

Is Scoopz app safe for kids?

The Scoopz app’s tagline, “Real Life, Real Video” could well refer to the lack of censorship and moderation on the platform’s content. And, after using the app, we understand why the App Store and Play Store have given Scoopz a 17+ and 18 rating respectively. Many of the videos we came across are in no way suitable for children.

After testing Scoopz ourselves and speaking to other users, these are the biggest parental red flags we’ve seen:

(Very) inappropriate content

The app’s lack of censorship means your child can be easily exposed to bad language and nudity as well as extremely violent and disturbing content. Without searching for them, we were presented with videos of fatal accidents and grizzly deaths that unfortunately appeared to be genuine.

Lack of privacy controls

Whereas TikTok offers users the option to make their account private, Scoopz does not; others are free to follow your account, comment on your videos, and reply to comments you’ve left. This could make it easy for predators to spark connections with your child based on their interests.

Scoopz does allow you to hide your location. However, if it’s left unchecked, your child’s whereabouts are shared in their bio and whenever they upload a video. 

No parental controls

Given that the app isn’t aimed at children, we could give them a pass on this; but it’s worth keeping in mind if your child wants to use Scoopz.   

A parental control tool like Qustodio can fill the role by limiting your child’s use of Scoopz or blocking the app completely. 

You cannot delete a video once uploaded

This might not sound like a big safety risk. However, when you consider the prevalence of blackmail and sextortion among teens, being unable to remove or edit online content suddenly becomes a scary prospect.

Is Scoopz app safe? Qustodio’s final recommendation

We agree with the age rating given to Scoopz by the Play Store – the app’s lack of censorship, privacy controls, and other essential safety settings, make it an unsuitable choice for under 18s. The platform might have similarities to TikTok, but this lack of essential safety features means it has a long way to go before it can be regarded as a legitimate rival or replacement, especially in the eyes of parents. 

As the “wild west” nature of Scoopz’s content can attract young attention, especially those looking for alternatives to TikTok, a parental control tool like Qustodio can help safeguard kids from the unsuitable content rife on the platform.  

With Qustodio, you can:

• Block Scoopz from being opened
• Receive an alert when your child first uses the app
• Set time limits for its usage 
• Pause the internet to immediately prevent access to the app

Scoopz is a video-based social media app that’s emerged as a potential replacement for TikTok if the latter gets banned in the US. However, Scoopz has nowhere near the level of censorship, moderation, and safety features of TikTok which makes it an unsuitable choice for anyone under 18.