How To Spot The Most Dangerous Apps For Kids

This is a guest post from Titania Jordan, Chief Parenting Officer of Bark Technologies. See Titania's bio at the bottom of the page for more information.

We get asked all the time (at both Bark Technologies and  Defend Young Minds), “What are the most dangerous apps for kids?” You might be surprised to know that you’re asking the wrong question.

What do I mean? Because apps can add dangerous features to frequent product updates, many apps pose significant risks to children's safety, privacy, and well-being. The app you started with can change drastically over time.

So the question parents should be asking instead is, “Which specific features make an app dangerous?” 

With this new lens, we can look at all (existing and future) apps in a more comprehensive way, and better protect our children.

Common dangerous app features

Let’s start with five existing features that we can agree are commonly known as prone to putting children in danger:

1. Direct messaging (DM) that connects children with strangers
2. Access (both front and backdoor) to pornography
3. Disappearing messages
4. Public discoverability or community features
5. AI chatbots with little to no safeguards

Related: 12 Bold Ways Porn & Predators Will Target Your Kid in 2025

Why apps get riskier: It’s “feature creep”

These common features are woven into most of the popular apps that children request. Unfortunately, they’re part of a larger trend called “feature creep.” This occurs when an app starts as seemingly harmless but gradually introduces features or changes. Over time, these updates can increase risks for children, often without parents realizing the shift.

We’ve seen this take place in several popular apps:  

• Instagram and YouTube: These platforms introduced Reels and Shorts to compete with TikTok’s short-form video success. 
• Instagram: IG rolled out disappearing messages when Snapchat began to gain market share of teens and tweens. 
• Snapchat: This popular app launched My AI, (which has been known to lead kids astray). 

These are just a few examples (the list is long). Keep in mind that the most popular apps and games targeted towards children continue to add new features in order to stay competitive. But these features could be (and often are) problematic for child safety.

The risks of live-streaming

Next, let’s talk about live-streaming, which can expose children to inappropriate interactions in real time, posing significant danger.

• Real-time interactions: Live-streaming allows kids to interact with potentially anyone, exposing them to predators, cyberbullies, or inappropriate comments. Children may inadvertently share personal information, such as their location, through their surroundings or comments. The pressure to gain views or likes can lead to risky behaviors, oversharing, or engagement in harmful trends. 
• Exploitation through gifting features: Predators can send virtual gifts or money to build trust and groom children for exploitation, creating a false sense of friendship or obligation. 
• Lack of moderation: Live content often lacks proper moderation, further increasing the risk of encountering or broadcasting inappropriate material, making live-streaming a high-risk environment for kids. 

There really is zero need for your child to go live— unless it’s FaceTime with grandma. The risks are too great. 

Related: Why TikTok Isn't Safe for Kids: 5 Shocking Features Parents Need to Know Now

Location sharing: Just say no

Another feature we’d like to highlight is location sharing which puts children at risk in several ways, including:

• Real-time location sharing: Apps and games that allow children to share their real-time location publicly or with others can expose them to strangers and potential danger.
• Geotagging posts or stories: These features broadcast a child's exact location, increasing vulnerability to strangers and predators.
• FOMO and exclusion: Tracking friends’ locations or being excluded from group activities can contribute to feelings of anxiety and isolation.

Many children today ask their parents for apps like Life360 so they can track their friends! It’s a wild world out there and if we aren’t careful, our kids end up as collateral damage.

Dangers of easy account creation

Easy account creation is another feature parents should be clued-in to. App companies prioritize increasing their “user count” because it boosts their popularity, revenue potential (through ads, subscriptions, or in-app purchases), and market value. To achieve this, they make creating an account as simple as possible.

This often includes:

• No age verification: Allowing kids to create accounts even if they’re underage.
• “Burner accounts:” Permitting multiple fake accounts, making it harder for parents to monitor activity.

When apps fail to address these issues, they put children at risk and limit a parent’s ability to protect them.

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Hidden content and anonymity

Certain apps pose risks to children through hidden content and anonymous interactions:

• In-app hidden content: Some apps let kids hide content in-app with password-protected folders or disguise the app as something benign (like a calculator!)— enabling secretive behavior or storage of harmful content. 
• Anonymity: Apps that allow anonymous interactions make it easier for predators or bullies to target children without accountability. Platforms that obscure user identities in forums or chatrooms should be avoided.

Gamification of unhealthy behavior

It’s no secret that tech is addictive. That’s why it’s crucial to pay attention to apps that gamify unhealthy behaviors, including:

• Streaks: These pressure kids to post daily or maintain interaction, creating stress and promoting oversharing. 
• Viral challenges: Made popular by TikTok, viral challenges can push kids to be online longer than needed or engage in risky behavior.

Our children don’t need more of an incentive to spend time online. 

Ever-changing app features can overwhelm parents

Whether it’s the:

• rollout of an algorithm which can push unsafe content to your child,
• pressure for an app or game to monetize pushing things like loot boxes or gambling-like mechanics that encourage addictive behaviors, 
• new filters that promote unrealistic beauty standards, 
• undisclosed data collection through fun quizzes or facial recognition tactics, 
• in-app browsers and link-sharing, or just a 
• blatant lack of parental controls,

...it can feel incredibly overwhelming to try and effectively parent in a tech world.

The reality is, it’s not a matter of if but when your child will be exposed to problematic content or people online. But you’re not alone. Here are a few tips to help you navigate this landscape.

My best advice for parents

If you allow your child to have an app or play a game:

• Keep an eye out for new updates: Some updates can put your child in danger.
• Check release notes: Stay informed about new features that may introduce risks.
• Enable any and all parental controls: Use tools that come with the devices and accounts your children can access, whether it’s at the ISP (Internet service provider), device, or app-level.
• Opt for safer tech in the first place: Use options like the Bark Phone, Bark Watch, Bark Home, or Bark App that proactively alert you to dangers (like predators, pornography, and bullies) and give you the ability to block apps, dangerous sites, set time limits, and so much more.
• Talk, talk, and talk some more: Open dialogue is critical for building trust in your relationship with your child.
• Join the Parenting in a Tech World Facebook Group: Find support in this group of almost 600,000 parents because you aren’t meant to do this alone.

Please foster an environment where your children can use tech as a tool for good — to create, curate, authentically connect, and learn, minus all of the bad. And good news: We are here to help!