How to Review Apps & Online Games

There is an abundance of apps and online games made available to children via their internet enabled devices. So many to choose from and typically, children want whatever they can get and what their friends have as well. It is not unusual for a child to complain that ‘all of their friends play this game’ or ‘they are the only one that is not allowed to use that app.’ We don’t want to make our kids unhappy on purpose, but the responsibility of what games they play rests on us, their parents. We need to be able to assess a game or app and decide if it is suitable for our child.

The 5 Steps to Review Apps & Online Games

1 A great place to start for reviewing apps is the App Store or Google Play. Both will guide you on the recommended age a child should be to have an account and it will also give you information around the content. This will include things like Swearing, Violence, Nudity and references to drugs and alcohol. The information that is not included is around some of the functionality of the app and available privacy settings.

Now it’s time to do a little research of your own.

Related Reading: 5 Easy Ways Your Kids Can Safely Search Online

2 Firstly, I recommend that you visit commonsensemedia.org and use their search function to search for the app or online game you are interested in. Commonsense Media will outline the age and content for the app as well as give you an explanation on what the game is about. They include reviews from other parents whose children have played the game and reviews from the children themselves. I highly recommend that you read the parents reviews. This is where you discover things about the app that are not necessarily documented anywhere else.

3 It doesn’t hurt to ‘google’ reviews of the app either. You can generate further parental reviews. Also be on the lookout for functionality within the app such as chat, livestreaming and the privacy settings.

4 Download it and play it yourself! Use it for a few days and get a feel for it before making your final decision about whether it is right for your child.

5 Subscribe to websites that regularly share information about the current trends in apps and online games.

That does look like a lot to do, doesn’t it?

If you aren’t keen on having your child exposed to content that isn’t appropriate for their age group, then these steps are helpful in making decisions on what they play. I’d love to hear any comments about apps that you’ve downloaded for your children and have had a bad experience with. Hearing about other parent’s experiences when it comes to internet safety can help you in protecting your child. If you have any questions about the above steps then please email me at nic@thetechmum.com – I’d love to help guide you.