How Parents Feel About Apps – Moms with Apps

This is the second article in an 3 article series I am writing for Moms with Apps.  Moms with Apps was created by Moms to help other parents comb through the myriad of available apps and decipher which ones are the best fit for their kids.  I appreciate Moms with Apps because I know when I’m looking for apps with educational value for my children, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack to find what I’m looking for when using the Google Play or iTunes Store.

To better understand parents’ needs, Moms with Apps conducted an online survey to get parents thoughts about children’s’ apps.  Over 450 parents responded to the survey across the country.  Here’s what they found.

No surprise here, parents see how valuable apps can be to help their child’s education.  I often turn to apps to find ones that help my daughter learn our states and capitals, my son learn his multiplications, and even ones that help my kids increase their decision making abilities.  Moms with Apps is a directory of apps that parents can use to find trustworthy apps in multiple educational areas such as reading, math, science, and critical thinking.

These are three valid concerns.  Just because an app is popular with your child’s friends, doesn’t mean that the app is appropriate for kids.  As an adult, it’s hard to know which apps are valuable…without trying each one first.  Popularity ratings in apps stores help decipher is an app is engaging, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the app is safe for children.  App developers are supposed to comply to COPPA standards for kids apps, but if kids are using an app that is enjoyable by both adults and kids, it will have a higher age range to include adults and it will not need to follow COPPA standards.

Moms with Apps understands these concerns, as the founders are parents themselves.  Moms with Apps features only app developers who are committed to protecting kids’ privacy and building family friendly apps that kids will love.  Moms with Apps has an extensive database that tells you what’s inside each app before you purchase it, so you can make an informed choice.

 

 

Privacy and in-app purchases are a big concern for parents.  Kids get so hooked on a game and get tempted by getting more coins if they just “like” the game on Facebook, fill out a quick survey, or download other apps.  I’ve seen it with my own kids.  They know they shouldn’t do these things, but the temptation is so strong to get “free” coins for little effort.

Moms with Apps states clearly which apps in their database contain in-app purchases, link to social networks, collect personal information, etc. so you can make a more informed choice when selecting apps for your children.  You can even search by this criteria when browsing apps.

 

 

As I stated earlier, trying to find a good educational app that is engaging for your child is like searching for a needle in a haystack.  There are over one million apps to choose from and the search functions in the Google Play, Apple iTunes Store, and Windows Store are not helpful when searching for trustworthy kids apps.  Moms with Apps is the only resource for parents who want to feel secure about the apps they purchase for their children.

 

The Moms with Apps survey analysis showed that 25% of the respondents with kids aged 4-5 felt that their children’s friends influence was significant and influenced their children’s decisions.  Of those parents with kids aged 11-12, kid’s friends influence increased to 62%.

What I like about the free Moms with Apps directory, is that it gives control back to the parents with regards to choosing appropriate apps for our children.

If we do not take a proactive role in this arena, our kids will tell us which ones they want, which are usually the popular ones their friends are playing…and of course, collecting data on our children.

*  This article is brought to you by Moms With Apps and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.