 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Find My Friends
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Price: Free
- Category: Social Networking
Common Sense Media says
Parental controls help lessen risks of Apple's location app.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Find My Friends is a location-sharing app for iOS devices. While there are several notable parental controls, the app is still best suited for older teens and adults. Users can communicate their location to friends (who have to request permission to add you to their tracking list). And while users can turn off location sharing, it's easy to forget and leave turned on. Parents can turn the app off on their children's iOS devices (and prevent them from turning it off as well, allowing them to use the iOS product as a tracking device).
What kids can learn
Because of the privacy and safety risks with location-sharing apps, Find My Friends should be restricted to use by older teens. With guidance from their parents, teens can learn about responsible sharing, privacy (managing their own and respecting others'), and ways to socialize with others. While the tutorial is very good at explaining how to use the app, the app itself doesn't give teens much guidance on making good decisions when they're using it. Teens can learn important tech and social skills, but parental guidance is key.
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning
- Creativity
- Self-Direction
- Emotional Development
- Communicationfriendship building, multiple forms of expression
- Collaboration
- Responsibility & Ethicsmaking wise decisions, respect for others
- Tech Skillsusing and applying technology
- Health & Fitness
What's it about?
Users broadcast their location, allowing their friends to track them throughout the day. It's permission-based (not allowing anyone to track you without your consent) and comes with plenty of parental controls. Users can alert friends to events and spur-of-the-moment get-togethers.
Is it any good?
The risks that accompany any location tracking app are present in FIND MY FRIENDS, but to Apple's credit, the company has taken several steps to mitigate risk. That said, the app is still not a wise choice for children, unless parents want to use the iPod Touch or iPhone as a tracking device for their kids.
The free app allows people to track where their friends are, but uses a permission-based system. No one can track you unless you give your consent first. (Kids, though, might let anyone track them in an effort to build a large cache of online "friends.") It's easy to stop broadcasting your location, but given people's tendencies to sometimes forget simple tasks, it's inevitable that users will sometimes inadvertently announce where they are when they would rather not. Functionality-wise, it's not dramatically different than other location sharing services, but it does the job well and includes enough additional features (such as temporary location sharing) and controls that it might be worth checking out -- if the user is age appropriate.
What kids can learn
Because of the privacy and safety risks with location-sharing apps, Find My Friends should be restricted to use by older teens. With guidance from their parents, teens can learn about responsible sharing, privacy (managing their own and respecting others'), and ways to socialize with others. While the tutorial is very good at explaining how to use the app, the app itself doesn't give teens much guidance on making good decisions when they're using it. Teens can learn important tech and social skills, but parental guidance is key.
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning:
- Creativity:
- Self-Direction:
- Emotional Development:
- Communication: friendship building, multiple forms of expression
- Collaboration:
- Responsibility & Ethics: making wise decisions, respect for others
- Tech Skills: using and applying technology
- Health & Fitness:
How kids will learn
Parents can encourage mature teens to consider the importance of carefully selecting who's allowed to electronically track them, and when it's appropriate to do so. For example, parents may impress upon teens that it's OK for family members and best friends to know where they are, but it's not a good idea for casual acquaintances who happen to be in their contacts to know their exact whereabouts. This way, teens can learn to make responsible decisions and may also gain some socialization and tech skills.
How parents can help
- Use the parental controls and talk about the restrictions you're setting and why you're setting them.
- Talk about when it's OK -- and when it's not OK -- for others to track your teen's location. Give specific examples.
- Offer advice on other ways teens can stay in touch with friends.
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- Parents
- Teens & kids
Kid, 12 years old
September 27, 2012
AGE
age 17????
this is an app that is perfectly fine for younger kids. age 17????????? what??? there is nothing bad on this app. it is great if you are a parent and you don't know where your kid is. it is good for kids to find where there parents are. it is good for all people even if they need to know where they are. Find my friends is for people of all ages and it works for ipads, ipods, and iPhones.
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Teen, 16 years old
May 3, 2013
AGE
Location Tracking for friends & family
What other families should know:
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| Category: | Social Networking |
| Platforms: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | Free |
| Size: | 10.40 MB |
| Publisher: | Apple |
| Version: | 1.0 |
| Release date: | October 13, 2011 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 5.0 or later |
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