Children’s App Banned by Google
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It’s becoming more and more common for young children to play on their parents’ phones, but is it always safe to let them do so? An app aimed at children that featured a voice threatening to cut them with a knife has been banned by Google, raising concerns over the safety of children’s apps.
The unofficial app, named after the Nickelodeon Show Blaze and The Monster Machines, contained a concerning message aimed at scaring young children:
“Hi kids, I’m your new friend! You see, I want to play with you kiddo. Maybe we could perform some fun games together.”
“You look afraid, is it this knife in my hands? Making you a little nervous? This knife is going to improve your look when it’s sticking right out of you.”
After one concerned parent shared the clip on Facebook, Google pulled the app, saying:
“We have a set of policies designed to provide a great experience for users and developers and we act quickly to remove apps from Google Play that violate those policies.”
Richard Pursey, chief executive at SafeToNet, a UK firm that protects children online using software that blocks content such as this, said:
“While we applaud Google’s response of taking the app down, it is simply too late. By the time content has been flagged to Google or any other app store, it will have been seen by millions of children.
“Unfortunately, this forms a fairly common trend. For example, recently, YouTube removed a children’s cartoon called Paw Patrol that showed children sleepwalking to their deaths.
“This was viewed over three million times before it was removed. We have also seen clips of Peppa Pig drinking bleach and Elsa from Frozen using automatic weapons.”
Have you seen any concerning videos or media online, aimed to scare children? It’s a worrying trend, and it means parents need to be a lot more vigilant with what their children are getting up to!