A Parent's Guide to Apps with Sexual Content or Nudity

1. Understanding Sexual Content or Nudity Risk in Mobile Apps
   • Are you comfortable with your twelve-year-old seeing “infrequent” or “mild” sexual content or nudity? According to the iTunes rating system, as long as it is infrequent or mild, this kind of content isn’t a problem for anyone between the ages of twelve and sixteen, but as a parent you might (understandably) disagree. Exposing kids to sexual content or nudity can cause some serious developmental issues, and – thanks to television and Internet exposure – a lot of kids are dealing with those problems.
2. What Happens When Kids See Sexual Content Too Early?
   • We want our kids to be kids for as long as possible, but the unfortunate trend in society is to sexualize them earlier and earlier, in no small part thanks to over-exposure to adult content on the Internet, on TV, and in movies.
   • While sex between consenting adults is perfectly natural and appropriate, it is not appropriate for children to see or read about sexual content or sexualized nudity. There’s a very big difference, after all, between seeing the Venus de Milo and watching an R-rated sex scene. The same body parts may be shown, but they’re shown in very different ways and send very different messages. That difference shows up in a number of ways when children are exposed to sexual content or nudity at an early age.
   • For example, children who see sexual content or nudity regularly starting at an early age are likely to start having sex at a younger age than those who do not. This can lead to them being pressured into having sex or feeling as though they should start before they are mentally or emotionally prepared to be intimate with someone else.
   • Unfortunately, having sex at a younger age is not the only risk associated with early exposure to this kind of content, either. When teens start having sex at younger ages, they also tend to have more high-risk sex. In addition to being unprepared emotionally and mentally, they are also uneducated about safe sex or may not be able to procure the means to have sex safely. This increases the likelihood of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
   • Even if your child does not start having sex too early, this kind of content is also associated with a few different relationship disorders, including relationship or intimacy addiction. In fact, in many cases, sex addiction can be traced back to over-exposure to explicit material at a young age.
3. Protecting Your Children from Exposure to Sexual Content or Nudity
   • Knowing the risks of too much exposure to explicit adult content, you’re probably wondering how you can truly protect your kids from gaining access to this kind of material on their mobile apps. That's one of the reasons we created the SaferKid app directory. You can search for the app in the directory and see how high-risk it is for inappropriate sexual content, and you can read a full review, as well.
   • We recommend that you take this step for any app you download for your children and for teens, you should regularly check what apps they have. Why? Because there are a lot more risks than parents realize, including inside apps that seem innocuous just from reading the description the app maker puts in the App Store.
   • In addition to checking out apps on iTunes and in the SaferKid directory before you download them, you can also protect your kids from sexual content or nudity by taking a few precautionary steps, including but not limited to:
   • Enforce limits on how much time your kids can spend online or using mobile apps.
   • Use parental controls and filters to keep your kids from visiting certain sites.
   • Have the birds-and-bees talk with your kids, and don’t be shy about your values and expectations.
   • Talk to your kids about self-worth and healthy romantic and platonic relationships, as well as the difference between on-screen and online portrayals of relationships and relationships in real life.
   • Set boundaries and enforce them. With ratings tools and online reviews like the ones you’ll find at SaferKid, as well as strong communication and education, you’ll have what you need to protect your kids against over-exposure to sexual content or nudity.