The library
Guides for apps and games
Each briefing says what the product is, what to look for, and a calmer way to set it up or take it off. Features change. Read it, then check the device in front of you.
1 calmest 5 needs a parent nearby 10 does not belong on a child’s device
Lower concern Fewer ways for strangers to reach them. Privacy habits still matter.
Needs supervision Usable with settings, rules, and check-ins.
High concern Easy contact with strangers, disappearing messages, or adult content.
Keep off the device Adult sexual services, random stranger video, or tools for hiding what is happening.
8 Ball Pool
medium risk 5/10
A free pool game against other people. Matches can be free. Coins and better cues are sold, and the person at the other end of the table is often a stranger. Keep the card off the device.
Amino
high risk 7/10
Interest-based communities. Children join for a fandom and can be private-messaged by adults in the same group.
Among Us
medium risk 5/10
A party game. Private games with friends are ordinary. Public lobbies add strangers and voice chat.
Ask.fm
high risk 8/10
People ask questions, often without a name. That invites pile-ons, rumours, and contact you cannot trace.
Badoo
severe risk 9/10
A large adult dating and meeting network. It does not belong on a child's device.
BeReal
low risk 3/10
One photo a day, taken in the moment. Less stranger contact, but the picture can show home, school, and friends.
Block Blast
low risk 2/10
A free block puzzle. Children meet adverts, not a shop full of coins. It still should not have your card attached, in case a purchase screen appears.
Brawl Stars
medium risk 5/10
A free phone battle game. Matches do not require money. The Brawl Pass, gems, and skins do. Club chat can include strangers. Do not leave a card on the device.
Bumble
severe risk 9/10
An adult dating app with friendship and business sections as well. The dating side is not for children.
Call of Duty
high risk 7/10
An online shooting game rated for older players. Voice chat puts children in a lobby with adults.
Call of Duty Mobile
high risk 7/10
A free phone version of Call of Duty. Matches cost nothing. The battle pass, crates, and CP points cost money. Voice chat puts them with strangers. No card on the device.
Candy Crush
medium risk 4/10
Free to download, then it sells lives, boosters, and gold bars. You can play without paying, slowly. A card on the device is how a stuck level becomes a bill.
Chat and Date
severe risk 10/10
Adult chat and dating under a plain name. If it is on a child's phone, take it off and ask who they have spoken to.
Chatous
severe risk 9/10
Anonymous matching for text chats with strangers. No camera required for the risk to be real.
Chatroulette
severe risk 10/10
One of the original random video chats. Anyone can be next. Keep it off a child’s device.
Clash of Clans
medium risk 5/10
A free village game you can play for months without paying. Gems and the Gold Pass are the shop. Clan chat is other people, sometimes strangers. No card on the device.
Clash Royale
medium risk 5/10
A free card-battle game. You can play without paying. The Pass Royale and speeding up chests are the shop. Clan chat adds strangers. Keep your card off the device.
Coin Master
medium risk 5/10
A free slot-machine village game. It is built to run out of spins and then sell you more. You can close it instead. Do not put a card on their device.
Crossy Road
low risk 2/10
A free hopping game. Most characters can be unlocked by playing. A few things cost money, and adverts fill the gaps. It does not need a saved card.
Discord
high risk 7/10
Group chat and voice for games and hobbies. Invite links can drop a child into a room full of strangers.
Disguised vault apps
high risk 8/10
Calculators, notes apps, "audio managers", and file tools that open into hidden photos or a second social app.
EA Sports FC Mobile
medium risk 5/10
A free football game. Matches can be free. Player packs and points are a shop with no ceiling. Keep your card off their device.
Facebook
medium risk 6/10
Still widely used. The risk for children is friend requests, groups, and private messages from people they have not met.
Feeld
severe risk 10/10
An adult dating app aimed at people exploring sex. It does not belong on a child’s device.
Fortnite
medium risk 6/10
A popular game with voice chat, friend requests, and pressure to spend. The settings matter more than the battle.
Free Fire
high risk 7/10
A mobile battle game that many younger children play. Random teams and voice chat are the risk.
Gardenscapes
medium risk 4/10
A free garden puzzle. The garden story is the wrapper. Lives, coins, and boosters are what cost money. No card on their device.
Genshin Impact
high risk 6/10
A free open-world game. Exploring can cost nothing. New characters are bought with a random pull that can cost a great deal. Co-op adds strangers. No card on the device.
Gorilla Tag
high risk 6/10
A headset game that looks silly and is full of live strangers. Popular with children, which is why adults show up there too.
Grand Theft Auto
high risk 8/10
An adult crime game. Online sessions add strangers, voice, and content that is not for children.
Grindr
severe risk 10/10
A location-based adult dating app for LGBTQ people. The problem is the adult sexual environment, not a young person's identity.
Hinge
severe risk 9/10
An adult dating app built around profiles and prompts. It is not a teen social network.
HOLLA
severe risk 9/10
Another stranger video chat, with filters and gifts. The gift is a reason for adults to stay.
IMVU
severe risk 9/10
A 3D chat app with a long history of adult rooms. It does not belong on a younger child’s device.
Instagram
high risk 7/10
Photos, Reels, and direct messages. A public account is an open door for people they have never met.
Kick
high risk 7/10
A livestream app that has carried edgier streams than the major services. Not a good place for a child to chat or broadcast.
Kik
severe risk 9/10
A username messenger with a long record of stranger contact. Parents often cannot tell who is on the other side.
Life360
medium risk 5/10
A location-sharing app many parents use. Useful inside a family. A problem if the circle includes someone who should not see where a child is.
Likee
high risk 7/10
A short-video app with livestream gifts. Children perform for strangers and can be pushed to share more.
LiveMe
severe risk 9/10
A livestream app where viewers buy virtual gifts. Children can end up performing for adults.
Mario Kart Tour
low risk 3/10
A free Mario racing game. You can race without paying. Some drivers and items are still sold. It used to push random paid prizes. A card does not need to be on the phone.
MeetMe
severe risk 9/10
A location-based app for meeting people around you. Nearby adults are the feature, not an accident.
Messenger
medium risk 6/10
Facebook’s chat app. Useful for friends and family, and also a place where strangers can send a request.
Messenger Kids
low risk 2/10
A children’s chat app where contacts are meant to be approved by a parent. Safer than open messengers, not a reason to stop paying attention.
Minecraft
medium risk 4/10
A creative game that is gentle with friends and much riskier on public servers with open chat.
Monkey
severe risk 9/10
Stranger video chat that has been popular with teenagers. Random camera contact is not a friendship tool.
Monopoly Go
medium risk 5/10
A free board-game app that sells dice. Events and sticker albums are there to make paying feel urgent. Children can close the app when the dice run out. No card on the device.
Monument Valley
low risk 1/10
A paid puzzle game. You buy it once. It does not sell lives, coins, or a season pass, and it does not put your child in a chat with strangers.
My Talking Tom 2
low risk 3/10
A free cartoon pet. You can look after it without paying. Food, outfits, and furniture are the shop, and adverts are constant. Keep your card off the device.
NGL
high risk 8/10
An app for anonymous questions, usually shared from Instagram or Snapchat. Children cannot see who is asking.
OkCupid
severe risk 9/10
A dating app for adults. It does not belong on a child’s device.
Omegle
severe risk 10/10
A random stranger video chat that shut down in 2023. Similar apps still put children on camera with adults.
OmeTV
severe risk 10/10
A random video chat. The next person can be anyone. It does not belong on a child’s device.
OnlyFans
severe risk 10/10
An adult site where people pay for sexual content. It does not belong on a child’s device, and a child should never be posting on it.
Pinterest
low risk 3/10
A visual bookmarking app. Calmer than a chat network, but messages and search can still surface things you do not want.
PK XD
high risk 6/10
A bright avatar world aimed at children. A lot of clothes, pets, and houses cost money. Public spaces include strangers. Do not put a card on the device.
Plenty of Fish
severe risk 9/10
An adult dating app. Keep it off a child’s device.
Pokémon GO
medium risk 4/10
A walking game that shows where the player is. The risk is real-world meetups and who can see their location, not the creatures.
Pokémon TCG Pocket
medium risk 4/10
A free digital card game. You get some packs by waiting. Buying more packs is the shop. Trading can involve other people. Do not leave a card on the device.
PUBG
high risk 7/10
An online battle game. Squads fill with strangers, and voice chat is part of the match.
Reddit
high risk 7/10
Forums for almost every interest. A child can join for a game and end up in communities that are not for them, plus private chats.
Roblox
high risk 8/10
A huge platform of player-made games. The risk is the chat and the strangers, not the idea of a game.
Royal Match
medium risk 4/10
A free puzzle that plays like Candy Crush and asks for money more often. Lives and special offers are the shop. Keep the card off the device.
Seeking
severe risk 10/10
An adult "arrangement" dating service, formerly Seeking Arrangement. Money plus dating is a safeguarding concern if a child is involved.
Signal
medium risk 4/10
An encrypted messenger that is usually used with real contacts. You will not be able to read the chats from another phone.
Skout
severe risk 9/10
Another nearby-people app with a public history of safety failures involving underage users.
Snapchat
high risk 8/10
Photos and chats that disappear, plus a map that can show where a child is.
Stardew Valley
low risk 2/10
A paid farming game. One purchase covers the game. It does not keep selling gems, and the card should come off the device after you buy it.
Stumble Guys
medium risk 5/10
A free knockout party game. Racing is free. Skins and the pass cost money, and public rounds are full of strangers. No card on the device.
Subway Surfers
low risk 2/10
A free running game. Children can play without paying. The shop sells boards, characters, and keys, and the adverts are the other price. No card on the device.
Sugar Daddy Meet
severe risk 10/10
An adult app built around paid dating arrangements. It has no place on a child's phone.
Tagged
severe risk 9/10
An older social site with dating features and a long reputation for unwanted adult contact.
Telegram
high risk 7/10
A messenger with huge public groups. Children join for a game or a hobby and can be pulled into chats you cannot see.
Tellonym
high risk 8/10
Another anonymous-message app. The sender is hidden, and the questions often turn personal.
Threads
medium risk 6/10
A public conversation app tied to Instagram. Posts are easy for strangers to reply to.
TikTok
high risk 8/10
Short videos tuned by a powerful feed, with direct messages, live streams, and trends that spread quickly.
Tinder
severe risk 10/10
A swipe-based dating app for adults. A child should not have an account.
Toca Life World
low risk 3/10
A free kids’ play app. Houses, shops, and other places are sold as packs. There is little stranger contact. The bill comes from unlocking the next place. No card on the device.
Tumblr
high risk 7/10
A blogging network with tags, anonymous questions, and a long overlap with adult content.
Twitch
medium risk 6/10
A livestream app, mostly games. Chat is public and fast, and whispers let a stranger talk in private.
Twitter / X
high risk 7/10
The app formerly called Twitter. Posts are public by default, adult content is easy to reach, and strangers can message.
VR and the metaverse
high risk 8/10
Headsets and apps such as Meta Horizon, VRChat, and Rec Room put children in a live space with strangers.
WhatsApp
medium risk 5/10
A private messenger tied to a phone number. Fine for people you know, harder to supervise because chats are encrypted.
Whisper
severe risk 9/10
Secret posts from people nearby. Anonymity plus location is a poor mix for a child.
Whiteout Survival
high risk 6/10
A free survival game that looks like a strategy app and sells expensive packs. You do not need to spend to see what it is. You also do not need to keep it. No card on the device.
Wizz
severe risk 9/10
A friend-making app that pairs young users with people they do not know. Predatory contact has been widely reported.
YouTube
medium risk 5/10
The largest video site children use. The recommendation feed and comments need more care than the search box.
YouTube Kids
low risk 3/10
A children’s version of YouTube. Better than the main app for a young child, and still able to show a video you would not have picked.
Yubo
high risk 8/10
A youth-marketed app for meeting people on live video. The audience is young, and adults still get in.
Zepeto
high risk 7/10
A cartoon avatar app with public worlds. It looks like dress-up and works like a social network.
Nothing matches that filter. Try another risk level, or show all guides.