brighten
Manufactured compliments spread cheer, however shallow.
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
brighten
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.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that brighten is a social-networking app that allows teens to send compliments to friends anonymously. They have the option to reveal their identity to the recipient if they choose. Messages can be fully original or a fill-in-the-blank style. The app is currently available only for iOS devices. Users can send anonymous texts to their friends, but only those with iOS devices will receive the text, which only notifies them that they received a message through the app and links them to download it to view the message. The whole point is to brighten someone's day with a compliment, but there's no clear definition of what's a compliment. Though you can send messages anonymously, others can see your messages in your friends' feeds. Topics in the community cover love advice with plenty of mentions of sex. To register, teens have to supply a phone number and email address. Read the app's privacy policy to find out about the types of information collected and shared.
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
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?
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
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Skills: Emotional Development: empathy, perspective taking, Communication: friendship building, Tech Skills: social media, using and applying technology
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: January 2, 2017
- Category: Social Networking
- Topics: Friendship, High School
- Publisher: Brighten Labs, Inc.
- Version: 3.3.3
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 9.0 or later
- Last updated: January 17, 2017
Our Editors Recommend
-
Peach - a space for friends
Magic words elevate cool but simple social-networking tool.
-
Sit With Us
Teen-created app promotes empathy, community.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate