App & game safety

App & game safety, app by app

Most parents don't come to this asking "is the internet bad?" — they come asking one very specific question: "My kid wants Roblox / TikTok / Discord. Is it OK?"

That's the question I had too. So we did the homework on the apps and games our boys actually wanted, sat with the settings, and worked out which ones we'd allow, which ones we'd delay, and exactly what to switch on if the answer was yes. These are the honest, mum-to-mum verdicts. No app is all good or all bad — it depends on your child and how it's set up. Pick the one you're wrestling with and start there.

Two brothers playing tablet games at a restaurant table
the signature asset

The App Lockdown Scoreboard

Every app gets a Safe-Zone light, a Lockability score (how well you can actually lock it down), and a one-tap path to the quick lockdown.

A quick note on the apps themselves. Every app on this list has a place — and real value — for the right person, usually an adult. Most weren't originally built for kids (especially younger ones), yet the people who build them keep adding parental controls anyway. The apps stand on their own merit; our job as parents is just to protect our kids until they're old enough to make their own calls. Hats off to the app makers helping us do that.

Safe-Zone
Category

Showing 27 of 27

Is Messenger Kids Safe?

Green ZoneUnder 13

One of the safer ways for under-13s to chat — set the Parent Dashboard up so you approve every contact.

Lock it down

Is Netflix Safe for Kids?

CautionAny age on a Kids profile

The danger isn't Netflix — it's kids on the shared adult login. Give them a Kids profile, PIN-lock the adult ones, and kill autoplay.

Lock it down

Is YouTube Kids Safe?

Green ZoneUnder 13

Safer than regular YouTube — but 'Approved content only' is the setting that truly locks it down.

Lock it down

Is Apple Intelligence Safe for Kids?

Caution13+ (ChatGPT off)

The AI in newer iPhones and iPads. The ChatGPT bit is off by default — here's what to confirm and the Screen Time settings that lock it down.

Lock it down

Is Brawl Stars Safe for Kids?

Caution10+, chat & spend locked

Rated for younger kids, but Club chat and Starr-Drop 'loot boxes' are the bits to watch. The in-game and device settings that take the sting out.

Lock it down

Is Fortnite Safe for Kids?

Caution12+ with setup

The two things to lock down: voice chat with strangers and V-Bucks spending.

Lock it down

Is Minecraft Safe for Kids?

Caution6+ solo, older with chat

Mostly a yes — the risk is multiplayer chat, not the blocks. The Microsoft Family settings to lock down first.

Lock it down

Is Steam Safe for Kids?

Caution13+ with a Child account

The PC games shop where the risk isn't Steam itself — it's the mature games, the chat and the marketplace. The 2025 Steam Families settings to set up first.

Lock it down

Is WhatsApp Safe for Kids?

Caution16+ (per WhatsApp's terms)

The worry is unknown numbers and group chats. The privacy settings that shut strangers out.

Lock it down

ChatGPT

Avoid13+ with controls on

Brilliant for homework, riskier for feelings — and now it has real parental controls. The age rule, and the settings that actually help.

Lock it down

Is Call of Duty Safe for Kids?

Avoid15+ (MA15+); not under 13

A mature shooter the free versions pull kids into early. The two musts: turn off chat with strangers, and lock the spending and the age filter.

Lock it down

Is Facebook Messenger Safe for Kids?

Caution13+ (Facebook account)

It runs on a Facebook account, so minimum-age rules apply. For older teens, what to check.

Lock it down

Is Google Gemini Safe for Kids?

Avoid13+ with Family Link on

Google's AI, now on Android phones and even under-13 accounts via Family Link. Rated high-risk for kids — the Family Link toggle and the rule that matters most.

Lock it down

Is Instagram Safe for Kids?

AvoidNot under 16 (AU ban)

Minimum-age laws are tightening worldwide. For older teens, what Teen Accounts do and what to check.

Lock it down

Is Pinterest Safe for Kids?

Caution13+ with teen account + passcode

Gentler than most, but the feed can drift from 'cute outfits' into diet and self-harm content. Keep it private, set the parent passcode, and turn off personalisation.

Lock it down

Is Roblox Safe for Kids?

AvoidNo (our house)

Why it's a no in our house — and how to lock it down if it's a yes in yours.

Lock it down

Is YouTube Safe for Kids?

Avoid16+ account (AU ban)

Use YouTube Kids or a supervised account, turn on Restricted Mode, and kill autoplay.

Lock it down

Is Character.AI Safe for Kids?

AvoidNot yet

AI companions can feel surprisingly real and bypassable — here's what parents need to know about the risks and safety settings.

Lock it down

Is Discord Safe for Kids?

AvoidNot yet under 13

Risky by default; here's what the real risks are and the exact Family Centre and DM settings to change.

Lock it down

Is Microsoft Copilot Safe for Kids?

Avoid18+ in Australia

The AI built into Windows, on by default for teens. The age rules, the risks, and how to lock it down with Family Safety.

Lock it down

Is Reddit Safe for Kids?

AvoidNot under 16 (AU ban)

Brilliant for hobbies, but porn, graphic content and stranger DMs are a tap away — and it's on Australia's under-16 ban. No parental controls, so you lock it at the device.

Lock it down

Is Snapchat Safe for Kids?

AvoidNot under 16 (AU ban)

Disappearing messages are the real worry — here's what the FBI, NCMEC and eSafety say, and the conversation to have before you allow it.

Lock it down

Is Telegram Safe for Kids?

Avoid16+ per Telegram's terms; not yet

The messaging app predators gravitate to — huge public channels, minimal moderation, no parental controls. The privacy settings to shut strangers out, and why we'd block it.

Lock it down

Is TikTok Safe for Kids?

AvoidNot under 16 (AU ban)

Why I'd delay it, plus Family Pairing and screen-time settings if your teen is already on it.

Lock it down

Is Twitch Safe for Kids?

AvoidNot under 16 (AU ban)

Live, largely unmoderated, and minimum-age laws are tightening. Block whispers and filter mature streams.

Lock it down

Is Kick Safe for Kids?

AvoidNot under 16 (AU ban)

The Aussie-built Twitch rival with barely-there moderation and gambling streams — and now on Australia's under-16 ban list. There's no real lock; you block it.

Lock it down

Is X (Twitter) Safe for Kids?

AvoidNot under 16 (AU ban)

The mainstream platform that allows actual pornography on it, plus the Grok AI image scandal — and it's on Australia's under-16 ban. Honestly, just block it.

Lock it down

For a lot of kids the first chat with a stranger happens inside a game, not on social media. The eSafety Commissioner's research found most Australian children who'd been contacted by someone they first met online were gaming when it happened — and only about a third of their parents knew.

Source: eSafety Commissioner

The bigger picture

Filtering, AI, ads and parental controls — it's all over on Internet Child Safety.

Internet Child Safety

Screen-by-screen setup

Want it done for you, for every app and device? It's all in the Ultimate Parents Guide — a one-off $13.60/year.

The Ultimate Parents Guide · $13.60/year