Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go was hugely popular upon release and was praised for being engaging and encouraging children to get out, explore and exercise. However, this app is not without risks. As the app encourages users to explore their local areas to hunt Pokemon, users can find themselves being led to inappropriate or risky places with their eyes glued to their smartphones. They can also encounter other users in real life. Privacy settings have been reported as difficult to navigate; location settings must remain active; and parents have expressed concerns about the potential dangers the app can cause in the offline world. There are several news reports detailing incidents which have occured whilst users have been playing Pokemon Go - ranging from assaults and muggings, to players injuring themselves in unsafe locations. It has also been suggested that predators or criminals could hijack the app in order to lure players to a particular spot. If children are playing this game they should be supervised, and instructed to only explore in the physical world when in a trusted group.