Safe games for kids, with no ads, no chat and nothing to buy

A safe game for a young child has no ads, no way to chat with strangers, and no purchase a child can make alone. It also collects as little data as it can and lets the child stop at any point. Those five checks rule out most games on the store, but plenty of good ones pass.

The five checks

1. Ads. Look at the Google Play page: it says "Contains ads" when a game shows them. On the App Store, read the description. Ads in kids games are often for other games, and a child can tap them by accident. 2. Chat and strangers. Can your child talk to, or play with, people they do not know? Single-player games avoid the question. Where there is online play, look for no free chat and parent control over friends. 3. Purchases. Is there a parent gate in front of every purchase? A good gate asks something a young child cannot do, not just "tap and hold". 4. Data. Check the App Store privacy label and the developer's privacy policy for children. Less is better. In the US, apps for children under 13 must follow COPPA. 5. Stopping. Can your child put it down without losing something? Streaks, timers and "come back or lose it" rewards make stopping hard.

How Jupo World does it

Jupo World has no ads, no chat and nothing a child can buy: a parent gate stands in front of every purchase and in front of the parent area. Progress is saved, so a child can stop after any game and pick up where they left off.

Questions parents ask

Are free games safe for kids?

Some are. Free games from public broadcasters and charities, such as PBS KIDS Games and Khan Academy Kids, are paid for in other ways. Many other free games earn money from ads or in-app purchases, so check both before your child plays.

What is a parent gate?

A parent gate is a small task an adult can do easily and a young child cannot, shown before purchases, settings or links out of the app. Apple requires one in apps for children.

Is a subscription safer than in-app purchases?

Often, yes. A subscription is one decision made by a parent. Games built on in-app purchases offer things to buy during play, which puts the decision in front of the child again and again.