Is Catch ~ 10s to Reply Safe? A Catch App Review for Parents

Harmful Content 😲

There’s no explore page on Catch, so users won’t run into content from people they aren’t friends with. But just because users can only interact with friends, doesn’t mean there are no risks. Sometimes, a child has online friends that aren’t always who they say they are. 

Another danger is if your child sends a personal photo, there’s the chance it could fall into the wrong hands. Whoever’s on the receiving end can see and distribute the photo and vice versa. Similarly, your child could receive an explicit photo from someone they’ve friended on the Catch app.

Also, as with any social media app, kids may use it to exclude or bully others. For example, your child might see their friends hanging out without them and excluding them from activities.

Predation 🚨

This is an app that allows people to message each other, so that means predation is a threat — even if most kids will just add their friends. Predators often pretend to be other children, and the Catch app lets users add friends from their contacts or other social media apps. This means that a predator could find your child’s number or social media, pretend to be another kid, get your child to add them on Catch, and start messaging them.

Privacy 🔒

Photos disappear after 10 seconds unless someone catches it. If it’s caught, it will stay on that person’s feed. It’s also possible to screenshot photos on the app. So even though what’s shared between friends on Catch isn’t available for other users, it can be saved and potentially seen by other people in real life. 

There’s also the option for your child to add their location before sending photos, letting the receiver know where they are at that moment.

Parental Controls ✅

Catch doesn’t have parental controls, unfortunately, which makes it potentially unsafe. However, Bark can help you stay in control by letting you:

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

So, should my kid download it?

Not until they’re older. Catch can be a great way to keep up with friends, but there are always risks when it comes to social media apps. It’s important to discuss these with your child so they know to only add people they trust in real life. This will help reduce the risk of them talking to someone posing as a friend or young person.