Protect kids from harmful apps with App Danger Project, a tool that helps make phones child-friendly

Worried about your kids downloading harmful apps? Check out the App Danger Project, an AI tool that flags unsafe apps for kids.

Apple removed 10 apps flagged by the tool from the App Store. (Image: Chin Onn Ong/Pixabay)

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

The internet is not just a source of entertainment and information, but also a minefield of dangers and threats. From malicious apps that can compromise your data to harmful people that can exploit your vulnerabilities, the online world poses many risks, especially for kids.

Kids can easily wander into dark corners of the internet or download inappropriate apps that expose them to things they are not ready for. Keeping track of kids’ device usage, the apps they install, and the websites they visit can be a daunting task for parents. Fortunately, there is an AI-powered tool that can help parents determine if an app is safe for kids to use.

Brian Levine, a computer scientist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, along with a team of researchers, has built a website called the App Danger Project. The website leverages a computational model that assesses app reviews to determine if an app is safe for a child, according to a report in The New York Times.

The model has scanned the context of reviews to see if they contain words like “child porn” or “pedo” and then flags the app accordingly, highlighting exactly how dangerous the app is to use. You can search for any app that concerns you using the search field on the site.

While the focus seems mostly on social media apps, thousands of which have popped up on both the App Store and Google Play Store in recent times, App Danger Project lists multiple video streaming and gaming apps as well.

For example, anonymous social media app Whisper returns 400+ reviews indicating that the “app is unsafe for children.” Snapchat hasn’t been marked too safe either, with over 23 reviews pointing at the dangers on the platform for children.

Whisper has been marked dangerous by the tool. (Express image)

Also read | Macs under attack: Accenture report reveals tenfold increase in cyber threats targeting macOS

The landing page of the website currently lists 182 apps that can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices. These apps have been flagged as dangerous for kids and you can filter the list according to the platform that your child uses. If there’s an app you’d like the team to analyse, then the website also offers a suggestion form.

Story continues below this ad

App Danger Project has apparently also caught Apple’s attention. According to the NYT report, the company investigated the apps listed on the website and removed 10 of them that violated its rules.

Of course, app reviews aren’t the most perfect way of determining whether an app is safe or unsafe for a child. But it still paints a picture of others’ experiences with it so that you can decide whether it belongs on the phone or not.

To try out the tool, simply visit app-danger.org on any device.