Protect Our Children
Know the app before you say yes.
Short guides for the social apps, games, and chat tools children ask for. What each one is, what to watch for, and what to do next.
Where do you want to start?
Browse by type
Pick the kind of app
Start here
Guides parents open first
Every guide has a risk score. 1 is the calmest. 10 means keep it off a child’s device.
Snapchat
high risk 8/10
Photos and chats that disappear, plus a map that can show where a child is.
TikTok
high risk 8/10
Short videos tuned by a powerful feed, with direct messages, live streams, and trends that spread quickly.
Instagram
high risk 7/10
Photos, Reels, and direct messages. A public account is an open door for people they have never met.
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.
YouTube
medium risk 5/10
The largest video site children use. The recommendation feed and comments need more care than the search box.
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.
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.
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.
Fortnite
medium risk 6/10
A popular game with voice chat, friend requests, and pressure to spend. The settings matter more than the battle.
Mobile games
What costs money, and what does not
Some games you buy once. Some are free and run on adverts. Some sell lives, dice, or a pass. Your card details do not belong on their 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dating and adult apps
These do not belong on a child's phone.
They are built so adults can meet, flirt, or arrange dates. Age checks can be lied to. If you find one, remove it and read the short briefing. If an adult has asked for photos, money, or a meeting, use the help page.
Articles
Before the next argument
What predatory contact looks like
The same patterns show up on very different apps. This is what parents can notice, with links to the guides. It does not describe how that contact is carried out.
How to stay safer
House rules you can say out loud. They work across apps: who may message them, what a stranger does not get, and what to do if it has already gone wrong.