Choosing Safe Apps and Games for Children: What Parents Need to Know

Why Evaluating Apps and Games Matters

The app stores available on iOS and Android devices collectively host millions of applications, with hundreds of new ones added every day. While this variety offers genuine educational and entertainment value, the sheer volume makes it impossible for platform operators to rigorously review every title. Parents cannot rely on the presence of an app in an official store as a guarantee of safety or quality.

Many apps and games designed for or marketed to children contain features that pose meaningful risks, including in-app chat functions that allow contact with strangers, excessive advertising, aggressive monetisation mechanics targeting children's impulse control, and data collection practices that raise serious privacy concerns. Understanding how to evaluate an app before your child uses it is one of the most practical digital safety skills a parent can develop.

Understanding Age Ratings

Age rating systems for digital content exist in most major markets and are a useful starting point for evaluation, though they are not a complete guide to safety.

PEGI (Pan European Game Information): Used across most of Europe, Australia, and many other markets, PEGI ratings cover games and apps distributed digitally and physically. Ratings are 3, 7, 12, 16, and 18, with content descriptors indicating why a game received its rating (violence, language, sexual content, fear, drugs, gambling, and online). The PEGI label on a game's app store listing or physical box provides a reliable indication of content maturity, though it does not cover online interactions which can vary unpredictably.

ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board): The equivalent system used in the United States and Canada. Ratings include EC (Early Childhood), E (Everyone), E10+ (Everyone 10 and older), T (Teen), M (Mature 17+), and AO (Adults Only 18+). ESRB ratings also include content descriptors and, for online games, an Online Interactions Not Rated notice that highlights the unpredictability of user-generated content.

App Store Ratings: Both the Apple App Store and Google Play use age rating systems that incorporate local regulatory frameworks. Apple uses age tiers (4+, 9+, 12+, 17+) based on self-reported developer declarations reviewed against Apple's guidelines. Google Play uses IARC (International Age Rating Coalition) ratings which draw on PEGI, ESRB, and other local rating bodies. These ratings apply to apps and games specifically, rather than just traditional games.

Limitations of age ratings: Age ratings assess content at the time of submission and cannot account for changes made through updates, user-generated content, or how an app's community evolves over time. A game rated suitable for age 7 may have an online community whose chat content would be rated 18+. Use ratings as a guide, not a guarantee.

How to Evaluate an App Before Downloading

Before allowing your child to download a new app or game, a brief but systematic evaluation takes only a few minutes and can prevent significant problems.

Read the app description carefully: Look for mentions of chat features, the ability to connect with other users, social sharing, or user-generated content. These features significantly alter the risk profile of an app.

Check the reviews: Filter reviews by most recent and read a sample of one-star reviews in particular. Parents and users often flag safety concerns, bugs, and problematic features in negative reviews that do not appear in the app description. Look for recurring themes across reviews mentioning inappropriate content, contact from strangers, or excessive monetisation.

Research the developer: Is this a known, established company with a track record of quality children's content? Unknown developers with no online presence or previous titles warrant more caution. Search the developer's name along with words like "safety," "privacy," or "controversy" to surface any reported issues.

Look up the app on review resources: Sites such as Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia.org) provide detailed, independent evaluations of apps, games, and digital content for families, including age appropriateness ratings, discussion of potential issues, and parent reviews. This is one of the most useful resources available to parents globally for evaluating digital content.

Check the permissions requested: Before downloading (on Android) or after (on iOS), review what device permissions the app requests. Be cautious of apps that request access to the microphone, camera, contacts, or precise location when these are not obviously necessary for the app's function. A simple puzzle game has no legitimate need for access to your child's microphone or contact list.

Understanding Permissions and Data Collection

Every app that runs on a smartphone or tablet has the ability to request access to various parts of the device and to collect data about usage. For children, this raises both privacy and safety concerns.

Location data: Precise location data should not be accessible to apps used by children unless there is a clear and legitimate reason (such as a family-safety tracking app used with the child's knowledge). Even "approximate" location data can be combined with other information to identify a child's home, school, or routine.

Microphone and camera access: Apps with unnecessary microphone or camera access could, in theory, record audio or images. More commonly, these permissions are requested for legitimate but optional features such as voice chat or augmented reality filters. Deny these permissions by default on children's devices and enable them only for specific, understood purposes.

Advertising identifiers and tracking: Many free apps, including those marketed to children, generate revenue through advertising. Some use advertising identifiers to track children's behaviour across multiple apps and serve targeted advertising. In many jurisdictions including the EU under GDPR and the United States under COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), collecting data from children under 13 for advertising purposes without parental consent is illegal. However, enforcement is inconsistent. Choosing paid apps over free ad-supported ones is often a safer choice for younger children.

Account creation and social features: Some apps encourage or require children to create accounts with personal information including name, age, and email address. Where possible, use a dedicated family email address for app registrations rather than your child's personal address, and be cautious about how much personal information is required.

Warning Signs of Predatory Design

The term "predatory design" refers to deliberate choices in app and game design that exploit psychological vulnerabilities, particularly in children, to maximise engagement, spending, or data collection. Understanding these patterns helps parents evaluate apps more critically.

Loot boxes: Loot boxes are random-reward mechanisms where players pay real or virtual currency for a randomised prize. The variable reward schedule they use is psychologically similar to slot machine mechanics and is particularly compelling for children. Several countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, and China have classified loot boxes as gambling or moved to restrict their use. Look for loot box mechanics in games marketed to children and consider whether you are comfortable with a child learning to spend money for uncertain rewards.

Artificial urgency and FOMO (fear of missing out): Countdown timers on limited-time offers, notifications that a friend is "waiting" for you, or in-game events that expire within hours are all designed to create anxiety that drives spending or continued play. These mechanics are particularly effective on children and adolescents whose impulse control is still developing.

Energy systems and artificial friction: Games that provide a limited number of "lives" or "energy" that replenish slowly over real time, but which can be immediately refilled with a purchase, are designed to monetise impatience. Children playing these games may repeatedly ask parents to purchase more lives or use a parent's payment details to do so.

Social pressure mechanics: Features that show a child that their friends have a rare item, higher status, or have moved ahead in a game, combined with the ability to "catch up" through spending, leverage peer comparison to drive purchases. In multiplayer or social games, these mechanics can create genuine social anxiety for children who cannot or do not spend.

Chat and social features in unexpected places: Some apps marketed primarily as games or educational tools contain chat functions that allow contact with strangers. These may be buried in the app and not obvious from the description. Look specifically for any feature that allows a child to communicate with people they have not met offline.

Red Flags to Watch For

Before or after downloading, look out for the following indicators that an app may not be appropriate for your child:

The app requests permissions that are disproportionate to its stated purpose. The app requires account creation with personal details for basic functionality. The app has prominent social sharing or friend-finding features. The app's reviews mention inappropriate advertising, contact from strangers, or aggressive monetisation. The developer is unknown, has no privacy policy, or the privacy policy is inaccessible. The app is free but offers many in-app purchases with no option to disable them. The app uses manipulative language like "Don't let your friends down" or "You only have 2 hours left" to drive engagement.

Recommended Types of Games and Apps by Age

Ages 2-4: Simple, responsive apps with no chat, no advertising, no in-app purchases, and no social features. Apps focused on creative play, simple puzzles, or early literacy and numeracy. Examples of suitable types include shape-matching games, colouring apps, and simple music-making tools. Look for apps from established children's publishers and public broadcasters (BBC, PBS Kids, ABC Kids Australia).

Ages 5-8: Puzzle and strategy games, age-appropriate educational apps, and creative tools. Single-player games without online multiplayer features are generally safer at this age. Apps that encourage creativity, such as stop-motion animation tools, simple coding platforms (Scratch Jr.), and drawing apps, can provide excellent developmental value.

Ages 9-12: More complex games and apps are appropriate, but begin to specifically look for and discuss online multiplayer features. Games with community chat features require explicit conversation about online safety. Coding platforms (Scratch, Tynker), creative tools, and age-appropriate educational apps in this range offer strong value. Begin discussing advertising, in-app purchases, and predatory design features with children at this age.

Ages 13+: Teenagers will access a much wider range of apps and games and will have strong opinions about what they use. Rather than purely restricting, focus on maintaining open conversations about specific apps, their features, and any concerns. Review app permissions together, discuss data privacy, and establish shared expectations around spending and time use.

Reviewing Apps Together With Your Child

One of the most effective approaches to app safety is to make the evaluation process a shared activity rather than something done in secret and imposed on a child. Involving children in assessing apps builds their own critical evaluation skills, which will serve them far better long-term than any external restriction.

When a child asks to download a new app, take a few minutes to look at it together. Read the description aloud. Look at the reviews together and discuss what other users are saying. Ask your child what they want to do with the app and whether the features match what they are hoping for. If there are concerning features, explain specifically what concerns you and why.

Follow up after they have been using an app for a week or two. Ask what they like about it, whether anything has surprised or worried them, and whether they have received any unexpected messages or requests. This kind of regular, casual check-in is more effective at surfacing problems than occasional intense conversations.

Resources for Parents

Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia.org): Provides detailed, independent reviews of apps, games, films, books, and TV shows with age recommendations and notes on specific concerns. Available globally and widely regarded as the most comprehensive resource of its kind.

Internet Matters (internetmatters.org): A UK-based resource with guides on specific apps, safety settings, and online issues, with content relevant to international families.

ThinkUKnow (thinkuknow.co.uk): Run by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command, this site offers resources for children, parents, and professionals on a wide range of online safety topics.

eSafety Commissioner (esafety.gov.au): Australia's independent regulator for online safety offers extensive parent resources including app-specific guides and advice on reporting harmful content.

NCMEC NetSmartz (missingkids.org/netsmartz): US-based but globally applicable resources from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on online safety for families.

Staying informed about the apps and games your child uses is an ongoing responsibility, not a one-time task. The digital landscape changes rapidly, and an app that was safe a year ago may have introduced new features since. Regular, brief conversations about what your child is doing online are the single most effective tool at your disposal.