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It’s easy to think the biggest risk on a kid’s phone is location sharing, but that’s only one small piece of the puzzle. Many children’s apps can also collect behavioral data that reveals routines, interests, and what keeps a child engaged. Some of that tracking supports core features, but plenty of it can also feed analytics, personalization, or advertising systems. The tricky part is that it’s often buried in settings, permissions, or privacy policies nobody reads during a hectic download moment. Here are eight popular apps kids use that may be gathering far more than expected, plus simple ways to tighten things up.
1. TikTok
TikTok can collect detailed engagement signals like what videos a child watches, replays, skips, or interacts with, which helps power recommendations and ad-related profiling. It can also collect device and network details (not just GPS), which can still reveal patterns about when and how the app is used. That means the “tracking” story often isn’t about location—it’s about behavior and preferences over time. To tighten this up, use the strongest privacy settings available, turn off ad personalization where possible, and keep permissions limited to what’s needed. If a child doesn’t need contacts access or constant background permissions, those are easy “no” choices that reduce data flow.
2. Roblox
Roblox can process information about what a user does on the platform and may use personal information to personalize ads and measure ad effectiveness. That tracking can include platform usage and identifiers that help decide what gets shown and what performs best. Even without “location,” play habits, purchases, and social interactions can create a surprisingly detailed profile. A practical move is to review privacy settings, restrict chat and friend features if they aren’t needed, and limit ad-related options where available.
Also treat “free” in-game perks and events like a signal to double-check what data the experience relies on.
3. YouTube Kids
YouTube Kids is one of the children’s apps that collects data. It can track activity such as watch and search history and uses a unique app identifier tied to activity to recommend content. It also uses unique identifiers for contextual advertising (even though it doesn’t allow interest-based ads in YouTube Kids). So even when a parent thinks, “It’s just videos,” the app can still track behavior patterns like what the user is replaying and what they’re skipping. To reduce data buildup, pause or clear watch/search history inside parental settings and use signed-out mode if the household doesn’t need profiles. Downloading videos for offline viewing (when available) can also cut down on ad-related exposure and tracking signals.
4. Snapchat
Snapchat’s privacy materials describe collecting and using data beyond location, including information tied to how someone uses the service and interacts with content. Its ads-related documentation also makes clear that Snapchat uses data to support advertising and ad controls. Even if a child never shares a map location, patterns like who they message, when they’re active, and what they engage with can still be valuable metadata. The simplest guardrails are limiting permissions (camera only while using the app, not always), turning off ad personalization where possible, and tightening who can contact the account. If “quick add” or public-facing features aren’t necessary, disabling them reduces the amount of social mapping the app can build.
5. Instagram
Instagram’s data policy explains that Meta collects information about how people use its products, including the types of content they view or engage with and the actions they take. That means “tracking” often shows up as engagement and behavior signals, not just location settings. For kids and teens, those signals can quickly turn into highly tuned feeds that keep attention locked in. A practical approach is to make accounts private, limit sensitive permissions, and regularly reset or review ad and recommendation settings. If a child uses Instagram mainly to keep up with friends, turning off unnecessary discovery features can reduce profiling pressure.
6. Discord
Discord’s privacy policy spells out that it can collect device information (like IP address, OS/browser details, and device settings such as microphone/camera) and log/event information about how and when someone uses the service. It also describes collecting information about activities on the service, such as friends added, servers joined, and content interactions. So even without GPS, usage patterns can reveal routines, communities, interests, and social networks. The easiest safety upgrade is limiting who can DM, keeping servers invite-only when appropriate, and restricting microphone/camera permissions to “only while using.” If a child doesn’t need integrations, bots, or third-party add-ons, keeping things “basic” reduces the tracking surface.
7. Messenger Kids
Messenger Kids is designed for child communication managed through a parent account, but messaging children’s apps like this still create rich data trails through communication patterns and usage metadata. Parent-facing guidance emphasizes that caregivers can manage contacts and settings, which matters because who a child can reach is a major privacy lever. Meta’s broader child/parent account disclosures also describe collecting and using child information as part of providing services. A strong default is keeping the friend list tight (known family/friends only), turning off any extras the child doesn’t use, and regularly reviewing the contact approvals. If a messaging app starts asking for permissions that don’t match its job, that’s a cue to pause and reassess before tapping “allow.”
8. Spotify
Spotify explains that it collects “usage data” tied to actions on the service, like what someone plays and how they interact with features. Ad and personalization systems can also rely on identifiers and inferences about interests to make experiences (and ads) more relevant. For kids, listening behavior can reveal moods, routines, and preferences even when no location sharing is enabled. To tighten things up, use a family plan/kid-appropriate setup, review privacy controls, and disable settings that share listening activity publicly. If the goal is background music, turning off social sharing features helps keep “what they listen to” from becoming “what trackable and broadcast.”
The Two-Minute Privacy Tune-Up Parents Can Actually Keep Up With
Start by reviewing children’s apps permissions once a month and removing anything that doesn’t match the app’s job. Turn off ad personalization where possible, limit tracking permissions, and keep Bluetooth and local network access disabled unless needed. Use kid profiles, screen time controls, and app store approval settings so downloads don’t happen on impulse. Talk to kids in plain language about why “free” can come with strings attached. A small routine beats a one-time panic cleanout, and it keeps a family’s digital life calmer.
What’s one app permission parents have started saying “no” to—and did it change how children’s apps behave?
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The post 8 Children’s Apps That Are Secretly Tracking More Than Location appeared first on Kids Ain't Cheap.
