Is this kids app safe? A 7 point checklist for parents
Before installing an app for a young child, check seven things: ads, data collection, accounts, purchases, links out of the app, offline play and how a play session ends. All seven can be checked in a few minutes on the App Store page and in the first session. Below is what to look for, and how Live Aquarium answers each point.
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1. Ads
Look for "Contains ads" on the store page and watch the first session yourself. Ads in children's apps often imitate game buttons. Live Aquarium has no advertising of any kind.
2. Data collection
Open the App Privacy section on the App Store page. The best answer for a small child's app is "Data Not Collected". Live Aquarium collects no personal data and contains no analytics or third party SDKs. Drawings, photos and fish stay on the device.
3. Accounts and chat
A child's app should not need a name, an email or a login, and should not let strangers write to a child. Live Aquarium has no accounts, no chat and no social features.
4. Purchases
Check what is sold and whether a child can buy it alone. Consumable currencies sold for money are the main risk. Live Aquarium sells one optional subscription, processed by Apple. Pearls, the in game currency, cannot be bought at all. Every purchase sits behind a parental gate.
5. Links out of the app
Links to websites, stores and social networks should be closed to a child. In Live Aquarium every external link, printing, sharing and the device settings open only after a grown-up holds a button for two seconds on a card that explains what will happen.
6. Offline play
An app that works in airplane mode cannot show ads or send data during play. Live Aquarium works fully offline.
7. How a session ends
Some games are built so that a child cannot stop: timers, streaks, lives that run out. Look for a calm ending instead. Live Aquarium has no timers and no penalties. The three adventures of the day end, the daily pearls run out, and the game lets the child go.
Where to verify this
- The App Store page of the app: age rating, App Privacy, in app purchases.
- The Kids category on the App Store, which has stricter rules about ads, data and links.
- The app's privacy policy. Ours is here, and the support page explains the parental gate.
Is Live Aquarium in the Kids category?
Yes. It is published in the Kids category of the App Store and follows its rules: no third party advertising or analytics, and a parental gate before purchases and links.
Who can I ask a question?
Write to [email protected]. Please do not send photos of your child.
