Parents' Guide to

brighten

By Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Manufactured compliments spread cheer, however shallow.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad Free Social Networking
brighten Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Brighten App: Screenshot #1
  • Brighten App: Screenshot #2
  • Brighten App: Screenshot #3
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Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.
  • Unclear whether data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • Unclear whether this product uses a user's information to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

What’s It About?

To register for BRIGHTEN, teens have to provide both a phone number and an email address and are encouraged to complete a profile that includes a picture. They can invite contacts from their phone and see which contacts are already registered. Then they can send messages for friends to "brighten" their days. Users can send messages anonymously but reveal their identities even after messages are sent. There's also a community board where teens can post questions and comment on other's posts on love advice, vents, and random thoughts.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Despite its emphasis on positive connections, this social networker doesn't really stand out in the crowd. Since it's only available on iOS, teens can't connect with all their friends. The focus on brightening someone's day with a positive comment is noble, but these brief messages are often shallow and serve only to feed the dopamine rush that can fuel tech addiction. The Community -- which gives teens the chance to vent, ask for love advice, or share weird thoughts -- is pretty cool but can get racy. While it's definitely a more positive approach to the anonymous app, it might benefit from more features and offscreen options to deepen the experience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the power of positive words such as those encouraged by brighten. Talk about how it feels to get a message from someone and how you can spread that positivity to other even without technology. Kids could make a card for a friend, call a loved one to say hello, or give a compliment to a neighbor.

  • Remind kids that they are never truly anonymous on social media. Explain that they are giving up that anonymity when they agree to the terms of service and privacy policy.

App Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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