Parents' Guide to

Flipboard

By Polly Conway, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Magazine-creation site missing some of app's key functions.

Flipboard Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 18+

Based on 4 parent reviews

age 18+

PORN access evades parental controls

My child’s iPhone has ScreenTime settings restricting sexually explicit material and 17+ apps. If you search keywords in Flipboard and limit to “Social” results, then flip results until you see a link to a tinyURL for a Twitter page, this will then load into the app’s embedded web browser, and THEN you have access to a completely unrestricted browser within the porn-ridden Twitterverse that would be blocked if you tried the same searches on Safari proper. I have emailed Flipboard requesting they fix this, with NO response. I have called Apple customer support, who refuse to take any responsibility for the access to adult material that this age rating 4+ app permits. They refuse to compel Flipboard to change its rating to 17+. They suggested I put a review like this on the App Store page for Flipboard. I went there, and they are not even accepting any additional app reviews (?!). I’m hoping that posting this here can be a catalyst for change.

This title has:

Too much sex
age 16+

Russian trolls

There are Russian trolls all over Flipboard using American, Canadian, or other Western user names, so be careful when responding to comments

Privacy Rating Warning

  • 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.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (1 ):

It seems like Flipboard really wants people to use the app version as opposed to the Web platform; the latter doesn't have the same functionality. You can't even create an account on the Web -- you have to sign up through the app, and then you can log in on a computer, which is a hassle. However, the magazine format is really nice, the photography shines, and there are tons of well-curated topics to browse. The content, however, does have some issues. Although the website is safer than the app (you can't search for inappropriate content), kids have the whole Internet to choose from when creating their Flipboard magazines. With no regulations, kids could see or add anything that's online, making Flipboard best for highly supervised situations or for mature teens.

Website Details

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