Twenty app review: things parents should know

Do you remember the Mappen app? It has undergone a more sophisticated relaunch, and it is now called Twenty. It is a type of social media application that is free and focuses on location sharing. Using the app, you can see where your friends are, what your loved ones are doing, and hang out together. Even though this app claims to be a network that makes you more social, do you think it is safe for your kids?

We are here to answer that question by showing you what you should know about Twenty app as parents. Read on to find out!

Is Twenty a Safe App?

Even though the app can be a way to encourage your kid to spend time with their friends and be more active, Twenty app is not safe for children. Its primary purpose is to share your location with friends anytime and any day, and this means you are giving up your privacy. All the contact list on your phone often make up the list of friends on the app. Whether people on your contact are trustworthy or not, Twenty assumes that they are your friends.

When downloading and installing the Twenty app, you will be asked to turn up the location services of your device. Doing so means it will run on the background even if you are not using the app actively. This means anyone you are connected to will have access to your exact GPS location. It is evident that Twenty is horrible when it comes to data privacy. When you read the terms and condition of this app, you will see some red lights that make the app unsafe for young ones.

On the privacy policy, the app mentions that they may collect information like device identifiers, photograph, email address, your full name, birthday, phone numbers, and more. Not only that, but they may also use your information for advertising purposes and also share your information with third-party advertisers if they are permitted. All these can make it easy for predators to target kids. You have to contact the developers to help you deactivate the account as you can’t do it yourself.

As you can see, Twenty can be a potentially unsafe environment for your children because it is bent on telling your contacts too freely and too much. Remember, all your contacts are not your friends.  

Parents’ or News Reviews to Twenty App

NBC Tampa said – “As a parent, you should check if your child has Twenty app on his/her phone. Even though it can be a way for your child to meet up with friends, it could be opening doors to predators. Anybody who adds your child on the application, whether friends or strangers, can know where he/she is exactly, and this may not be safe for your kid.”

ABC Denver said – “A lot of young people including elementary school are using this app and the fact that the location services are always available whether you are actively using it or not is a red flag for parents. People your child are friends with on the app will know where he is, the school he goes to, and where he lives. Even though you may trust some of your friends, do you know who has access to their phone? Sex offenders or strangers can infiltrate and gain access to your kids by checking and taking their contact from their friends’ list.”

Common Sense Media said - If teens don’t stay on top of the settings, they may continuously share their location, which is a problem for a wide variety of reasons, including the fact that they might not make the best choices about who to add. The most likely problem, however, is fuel for teen drama, so if your kid can see friends hanging out but wasn’t invited, there’ll be hurt feelings. The ‘hide’ feature, though likely meant to safeguard feelings, is another potential drama-creator if someone forgets to use it.

NBC Knoxville said – “the Twenty app exists to sell your information, and that is why it is free. You will see that the developers will sell everything from what you do every day and where you are to where you live, your school, name, and photos. Check the privacy policy, and you will see it stated there.”

Does Twenty Have Parental Control Setting?

Unfortunately, Twenty does not have a parental control setting. It means there is no way to control how your young teen uses the app unless you use a second party parental control app or deactivate the account, which may be challenging to do. However, you can hide your location by going invincible. This is just for a limited time as the location becomes visible again after eight hours. Note that you won’t be able to post anything while you are invisible.

The Age Limit of Twenty App and Can Kids Bypass It? 

According to the terms of Twenty, they only allow 13 years of age or older to sign up and use the application. However, children younger than 13 years old can find a way around the age restriction by lying about their age. Unfortunately, Twenty doesn’t have a way of confirming if the birth date they claim is right or wrong.

How Can Parents Protect Kids from The Potential Dangers of Twenty App?

1. Talk to your kids about the app – let your kids know why setting limitation on Twenty is essential by talking to them about the risk of location sharing. Also, let your ward understand who he/she should have on his/her list of friends, who he should not talk to, and those people he should talk to.
2. Use the available settings or deactivate the account – You should set the location sharing services on the phone of your kids to never. Alternatively, you can delete the app and let your children see the danger of using it. Additionally, you can encourage your young teen to make plans with their friends offline by helping them to create an invitation without hurting anyone or leaving anyone out.  
3. Use parental control app – this is one of the most effective ways to protect your kids from the potential danger of Twenty app. Using a powerful, effective, and reliable parental control app such as FamiSafe can help you limit the usage of Twenty app or even block it if you don’t want your kid to have access to it again. What’s more? You can also track your children’s daily activities on their devices. The activity report feature on FamiSafe will let you know the app installed or deleted by your teen. You will also be aware of the time they spend using an app.