A Parent's Guide to Apps with Graphic Sexual Content and Nudity

1. Protecting Your Kids from Mobile Apps with Graphic Sexual Content and Nudity
   • According to the iTunes rating system, apps with graphic sexual content and nudity are not appropriate for the App Store. As a result, if a developer creates an app that features graphic, explicit content and submits it to iTunes, it will be banned from the App Store. Unfortunately, though, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t apps out there that contain this kind of content. In fact, there are actually multiple ways that your kids could get their hands on apps that feature graphic nudity and sexual content.
2. Downloading Apps with Graphic Sexual Content and Nudity Online
   • First of all, the App Store and Google Play are not the only sources for mobile apps out there. If someone creates an app with graphic content, it may be banned from either or both of these platforms, but there’s nothing stopping the creator from allowing people to download it from their site.
   • So how can you keep your kids from just going to a website and downloading an app with graphic sexual content and nudity? Fortunately, this is where parental controls and filters come in very handy. You’re almost guaranteed that any site that would encourage users to download this kind of app will also feature other inappropriate material. As a result, your parental controls and filters should block your child from visiting them. So, as long as you’ve taken the necessary measures to ensure that your children can safely browse the Internet, you should be safe from these particular apps.
   • Along the same lines, in addition to creating filters and blocking certain sites, you should also block your child’s ability to download apps without your permission. You can do this by password protecting the App Store and Google Play. Then your child will need to ask you to log in before they can download anything. This will give you the chance to check on whether or not their downloads are appropriate before you proceed.
3. Adding Graphic Content after Being Rated
   • Of course, sometimes an app developer will put together an app that barely squeaks by the iTunes rating system with a 17+. Then they’ll add more graphic sexual content later on in hopes that the people monitoring iTunes’ ratings don't notice. This generally doesn’t last very long, as unsuspecting people will eventually download the app, leave negative reviews or report it to iTunes.
   • Unfortunately, this can take time, so you should keep an eye on the apps your kids are downloading. If they seem borderline inappropriate, go ahead and put your foot down. There are all kinds of perfectly age appropriate apps out there that your kids can use – they can do without one borderline case.
4. User-Created Inappropriate Content
   • Finally, some apps will get by the ratings system because they don't contain any in-app objectionable content. However, if an app allows users to upload text, pictures, or video, there’s a chance that someone is going to upload something inappropriate, including graphic sexual content and nudity. If the app has the capability for private messaging or private chat rooms, there is an even greater risk that someone might send your child graphic pictures, videos or messages.
5. Determining the Risk of an App
   • So how can you tell if your child is looking at a high-risk or low-risk app for graphic sexual content and nudity? While the iTunes rating system is a good place to start, as we’ve shown here it’s definitely not comprehensive. Fortunately, though, you can search for the app in question in the SaferKid directory.
   • SaferKid will not only tell you the rating of any app you search, but will also provide you with the relative risk of each factor in the app’s rating. For example, if an app has private multimedia messaging capabilities, this will immediately raise the risk of someone sending your child inappropriate content. If the app has a reputation for being used inappropriately, the risk goes up even more. SaferKid explains all of the risks associated with any app in the directory and includes a detailed review and explanation of why it is or isn’t appropriate for certain ages.
   • After you’ve read the SaferKid review of an app, you can then make an informed decision about whether or not your child should be allowed to use it. Then you can talk to them about any limitations or restrictions you’ll place on their use of the app, as well as any concerns you still have about how appropriate it is.
   • Of course, there’s also nothing wrong, as we’ve said, with simply blocking your child from accessing a questionable app. If you think that an app is likely to have graphic sexual content and nudity, there is no reason that you have to risk exposing your child to it, and with the information in this article you should have all you need to determine that risk and decide what to do next.