“With Pokémon Sleep, you can turn your sleep into entertainment!”. This is how the Pokémon Company advertises its new game – with success. The Google Play Store has recorded more than 5 million app downloads since its release in July 2023. The catch: the app accompanies children and young people to bed and collects sensitive health data in the process.
Pokémon Sleep is an app that embeds human sleep in a gaming experience. Players have to help Professor Neroli with sleep research on an adventure island and work together with the Pokémon Relaxo. The app records noises and movements during the night and uses the data collected to create a sleep log. The longer users sleep, the higher their score the next morning and the more new Pokémon appear around Relaxo. Sleep is divided into three types: Semi-sleep, light sleep or deep sleep. In the morning, Pokémon appear that sleep in a similar way. During the day, players can explore sleeping poses, feed the Pokémon and carry out other game activities. The aim is to record as much sleep as possible and thus collect many different Pokémon and poses. The app is also compatible with Pokémon GO Plus, which is the gadget for the game Pokémon GO.
Whether as playing cards, a TV series or a video game – many children and young people grow up with Pokémon and love the little monsters. Pokémon is aimed at young people’s passion for collecting. With Pokémon Sleep, players can get new Pokémons and take care of them without much effort. Getting information about sleep behavior appeals to young people’s love of discovery. Tasks from the friendly Professor Neroli and rewards such as bonus cookies make children and young people want to spend time in the game world with the Pokémons.
Consumer protection warns that Pokémon Sleep monitors the sleeping behavior of children and young people and that the game concept can encourage addictive behavior:
In this test, the data protection website mobilsicher.de proved that the app sends data to advertisers. The audio recordings are saved locally and deleted after 24 hours. However, users’ sleep profiles are stored on company servers. The Pokémon Company states that it does not sell sensitive data of minors for advertising purposes. It is not possible for minors to link their accounts with those of friends. The provider advises you to switch off the audio recording function to save data.
Protect your child’s privacy online and avoid data-hungry apps such as Pokémon Sleep. Younger children in particular can be very absorbed by this game directly before and after sleep, but also during the day. Children are not yet able to assess the implications of sleep monitoring in connection with digital currency.
If your child is older and really wants to use the app, please note the following information:
A well-stocked store that offers many useful applications for Apple products: the Apple App Store. It entices users with numerous apps, games, and media content from a seemingly endless selection. Find out what the Apple App Store is all about and how you can set it up to be childproof in this article.
The Apple App Store is a digital platform where users can download and install iOS apps for their Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. It was introduced by Apple in 2008 and has had a significant impact on the app development industry and mobile ecosystem ever since.
From games and entertainment apps to useful tools and productivity apps, the App Store offers a wide range. Users can search for apps, read ratings and reviews, buy apps or download them for free, and sign up for subscriptions. Specifically, there are ‘Today’ (apps and news selected by Apple), ‘Games’ (different types of games), ‘Apps’ (apps by category), ‘Arcade’ (exclusive games within the Apple Arcade subscription) and the general ‘Search’ categories for this on the home screen. When browsing, however, advertised apps are preferred. This means that even when searching for a specific app, the app you are looking for will first appear under a promotional post.
For developers, the App Store provides a platform to market. To do this, the apps must meet certain Apple guidelines and requirements regarding privacy, security, and features that enhance user experience. Each app is pre-screened for this by Apple before release. Some female developers criticize the high fees Apple charges for selling apps in the Apple App Store, while others have concerns about the review and approval processes.
Games, coloring and drawing apps, music and creative apps, entertainment apps and learning apps – the Apple App Store offers children and young people numerous options. Many of the apps are interactive, entertaining and promote cognitive development, language development or fine motor skills.
There is a separate category in the Apple App Store for children up to the age of twelve: it is called ‘Kids’. The apps there are usually kid-friendly and educational. However, the category is not intuitive to find. To do this, you must enter ‘children’ in the search box. This is the only way to land in the children’s section with subcategories.
The age ratings are set by Apple itself based on the content of the app and the target audience. Factors such as violence, sexual content, drug use, or gambling are considered. Each app is then given an age rating of 4+, 9+, 12+, 17+ or no clearance. Apple uses its own guidelines and standards for this.
Strict guidelines for all apps for children should ensure their safety: child-friendly content. No use of tracking technologies. No advertising. No in-app purchases without parental permission. Easy navigation and operation. No links to outside websites or social media without parent permission. Educational Benefits.
You can also adjust the settings on their Apple devices to restrict access to certain apps or content and ensure that your child can only access kid-friendly apps.
Tips on how to safely set up your child’s smartphone are available in this article.
The short video app TikTok reaches millions of people and has a particularly large number of young users. TikTok is all about fun, sharing and creativity. For some TikTokers, it’s all about making money with the app.
TikToker would like to get their videos on the “For You Page” so that as many people as possible can see their clips. This can get them lots of new followers, so a wider reach. Many TikTok stars have become famous overnight this way. This makes them attractive to companies that use them as influencers for advertising.
High-reach companies pay TikToker to promote a brand or product. These collaborations must be clearly marked as advertising. Companies are increasingly relying on so-called micro-influencers, which means that even users with just a few hundred followers may receive requests for cooperation.
In livestreams, viewers can give gifts to influencers. These virtual items, such as a panda emoji, must be purchased beforehand: Users buy coins with real money, which can be exchanged for gifts. Influencers, in turn, can exchange the gifts they receive back into cash and cash out. A part always remains with TikTok and they earn with it.
Why supporting your favorite influencer can be really expensive for fans and how you can protect your child from this can be read in our article Social Media Influencers and the Dear Money.
This is an agreement between a TikToker or TikTokeress and a company. He or she links an online store on his or her own profile and receives a commission for each item sold through the link. This must be made recognizable as advertising.
Many influencers sell items decorated with their own design or creative sayings. To do this, they work with service providers who take care of printing and sales. The influencer receives an agreed amount per item sold.
Opportunities to earn money on TikTok are many and getting started is often straightforward. Children and young people in particular see the TikTok stars as role models and want to be like them.
To stay relevant to audiences and businesses, TikTokers need to post interesting images and videos regularly – preferably several times a day. Competition is fierce and trends on TikTok are fast moving. This can create pressure to perform and stress , which children and adolescents in particular are not yet able to handle well. Family life and school performance can also suffer.
TikTokers especially want to gain a lot of attention with videos of dangerous challenges or by portraying themselves in a provocative or sexualized way. To get more gifts that can be converted into money during a livestream, quid pro quos are often offered. This can be greetings by name but also the cell phone number or a private picture to people who are strangers. Here it is especially important that you protect your child from cybergrooming. Discuss these risks calmly with your child. If he/she would like to post his/her own videos and expresses the desire to earn money as a TikToker, consider together whether and how this is compatible with school and other hobbies and under what conditions he/she will get your permission. In addition, your child has limited legal capacity until he or she reaches the age of majority and also needs your consent to have an account on TikTok.
You can read more tips about this in our post Children’s Influencers and Family Channels.
A Lootbox is a special type of in-app purchase. The term Lootbox can be translated as “loot box”. Such a box can be acquired in many console games or game apps. It resembles a grab bag because its contents are not known before purchase. Often, these paid in-game purchases are items that are not relevant to the game, such as a new outfit for the character or additional equipment. A player can purchase a Lootbox for real money or in-game currency. Particularly valuable items are rare and the percentage of rivets is high. That’s why a Lootbox is like a game of chance and has been under critical scrutiny for some time. It has even been considered to ban them, as gambling should not be accessible to children and teenagers under the age of 18. The Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) does not consider Lootboxes to be gambling, but advises parents to take a closer look.
To make sure your child doesn’t fall into the cost trap, you should discuss with him or her what Lootboxes are and how game makers plan to make money with them. It’s best to try out a new game together with your child, as it’s sometimes impossible to tell beforehand if lootboxes play a role.
If your child absolutely wants to buy a Lootbox, you can agree on rules for this. Just as with the allocation of media use time, you can, in consultation with your child, convert some of the pocket money into virtual play money that can be used for such purposes. In this way, your child learns bit by bit how to handle his or her pocket money responsibly.
