Is Venmo Safe? A Venmo App Review for Parents

Harmful Content 😲

There’s a slim chance your child will run into harmful content on Venmo, especially if they’re using a teen account. Transactions and their descriptions (like “$12 for Chick-Fil-A”) can be made public, just between friends, or completely private. There’s a chance someone could make a payment and write something inappropriate in the description, but this is unlikely because even if an account is public other users can’t see their transactions until they pay them at least once. Also, if your child is using a teen account, they’ll only be able to make and receive payments with family and friends.

Predation 🚨

There’s a slim chance that your child will engage with a predator on Venmo, especially since there’s no chat feature outside of brief payment explanations. It’s possible to receive a Venmo from a stranger, but it’s also easy to block accounts. If your child’s account remains private and they don’t add their real name or photo, there’s no way for a stranger to know their information. Also, if they’re using a teen account they can only interact with friends and family so there’s a very slim risk of them being targeted on the app.

While your child probably won’t find themselves in trouble on the Venmo app, money transfer apps are often used in sextortion schemes. For example, if someone is blackmailing your child, they might request payment on Venmo. This is certainly something to be watchful for, and using a teen account will give you the ability to see who your child is paying and how much they are sending.

Privacy 🔒

Venmo is a secure transaction app that takes steps to ensure information is kept safe and private, like payment encryption and two-factor authentication to make hacking difficult. 

Users can keep their account totally private and choose not to display any personal information, like their name or profile picture. We recommend following all legal guidelines and setting up a teen account for your child, which is especially private since these accounts cannot be found using the search bar.

Parental Controls ✅

Luckily, Venmo has taken steps so teenagers can make payments responsibly. Venmo teen accounts require an adult to set up and manage them. They are not directly linked to a bank account, but instead parents can add money into their kid’s account. Parents can see all of their child’s transactions, and kids can only interact with family and friends. If you’re concerned about your child using a Venmo teen account or using a regular account underage, Bark is here to help. 

Bark can help you stay in control by letting you:

• Block the Venmo app completely, if needed.
• Manage when your child can use the Venmo app throughout the day.

So, should my kid download it?

As long as they are using the age-appropriate teen account, yes! Venmo can give kids more flexibility as they get older and help them learn healthy spending habits while you monitor and control their transactions.