Parents' Guide to Pou

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire Simulation Games
Pou Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Chris Morris By Chris Morris , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 6+

Virtual pet app engages kids as they care for cute alien.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 6+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Pou App: Screenshot #1
  • Pou App: Screenshot #2
  • Pou App: Screenshot #3

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 10 parent reviews

 

 

See all 10 parent reviews
age 4+

Based on 15 kid reviews

Kids say this app is incredibly fun and engaging, particularly for its customization options and mini-games that encourage interaction and responsibility in caring for a virtual pet. While many reviews praise its educational value and lack of intrusive ads, some users express concern over the character's dependency on the player, highlighting a mixed experience in gameplay enjoyment.

  • fun gameplay
  • educational value
  • customization options
  • no ads
  • user engagement
Summarized with AI
 

 

See all 15 kid reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • 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?

Players must take care of a Pou, an amorphous creature that is under their care, ensuring that it's bathed, plays, sleeps, and eats. Feeding is a matter of dragging and dropping food to its mouth, while sleep requires swiping to another room of the house and turning off the lights. The games vary, but most are direct offshoots of popular apps (like Doodle Jump), which makes them easy for kids to learn.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 10 ):
Kids say ( 15 ):

Some adults will hate Pou, but their kids will probably love it. Like any Tamagotchi game, there's the thrill of responsibility and the reward of seeing your Pou grow. Some kids, though, might enjoy torturing the creature and watching it suffer.

Kids will like the games included in the app, in part because they're quite simplistic and offshoots of popular real-world sports (like soccer) or popular apps (like Doodle Jump). There's also a talkback feature, where the creature will repeat what kids say into their device's microphone -- something sure to engage young ones. And the ability to change the creature's look will charm them as well. Just keep an eye on their coins, as the urge to spend real-world money on these virtual items will likely be high for them.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • If you have a family pet, delegate some of the responsibility for its care to your kids to help kids transfer what they're learning in the app to the real world.

  • Don't have a family pet? A small fish is a low-cost, low-commitment way to give kids the experience of being responsible for another living creature.

App Details

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Pou Poster Image

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