drawbridge
The blocklist and the why
Drawbridge blocks six categories: pornography, gambling, ads and trackers (which also covers malware, phishing and scam domains), algorithmic social media, AI companions, and games with addictive mechanics or grooming risk. Everything else keeps working normally: tools, office software, weather, banking, public transport, school and work. The list is not configurable, and that is the point, because any setting you can change yourself is also a setting you can argue about.
The pornography, gambling, ads and tracker categories come from large public blocklists maintained by others (Block List Project and HaGeZi), refreshed daily. The social media, AI companion and game lists are drawbridge's own, and every entry on them rests on public sources: official age ratings (PEGI, ESRB), independent reviews such as Common Sense Media, regulator findings from bodies like the Belgian Gaming Commission, the European Commission and Australia's eSafety Commissioner, and guidance from medical and child-psychiatric organisations such as AACAP, the APA and the WHO. The pattern that recurs most: the store's age label often sits years below what independent reviewers advise, and says nothing at all about chat with strangers or paid random rewards.
This page grows as the list does; treat it as a reference rather than something finished.
The scope of this document is only to explain a bit why certain social media apps, games and websites are denied access to a device with drawbridge. We do not elaborate on pornography and gambling.
Meta's own internal research, leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen, showed the company knew its products could harm teen mental health but kept that research from the public and regulators (NPR, BBC). A meta-analysis of adolescents and young adults also linked problematic Facebook use to psychological distress and lower well-being (PubMed).
A UK survey of 1,479 14–24 year-olds rated Instagram the worst mainstream platform for young people's mental health, citing anxiety, body image issues, and bullying (BBC). The same Meta internal documents that fueled the Haugen disclosures specifically singled out Instagram's effect on teen girls' body image and self-esteem (Wall Street Journal).
Threads
As a newer Meta property built on the same engagement-driven feed model, researchers note it inherits the general risks of social media (privacy exposure, scams, harassment) while adding fresh concerns around data collection tied to Instagram accounts (University of Michigan, BCS).
TikTok
Over a dozen U.S. states and the District of Columbia sued TikTok in 2024, alleging its algorithm is deliberately engineered to be addictive and harmful to minors' mental health (AP News, Washington AG). A 2025 systematic review found consistent links between TikTok use and adolescent anxiety, depression, and sleep loss (European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry via PubMed).
Snapchat
The FBI has repeatedly warned that Snapchat is a primary vector for sextortion of minors, with thousands of cases reported annually and disappearing messages complicating evidence and detection (FBI, DOJ). Snapchat and Facebook together reported over 9,600 UK grooming attempts in a six-month period (The Guardian).
X (Twitter)
A University of Bristol study found nighttime posting on X correlated with measurably worse well-being (Medical Xpress), and separate research found X use predicts declines in well-being alongside increased outrage and polarization (Nature Communications Psychology).
A large-scale survey ranked Reddit among the worst platforms for mental health during heavy news consumption, alongside Facebook and Twitter (Forbes). Its open, pseudonymous forums also host communities that researchers have flagged as normalizing self-harm or unmoderated exposure to disturbing content (PMC/NIH).
YouTube
Researchers describe YouTube's recommendation algorithm as a "double-edged" driver of teen mental health outcomes, pushing extended watch time and, in some cases, extreme or age-inappropriate content (IYRC Journal). A 2021 Wall Street Journal investigation (cited in law-and-policy research) found TikTok- and YouTube-style algorithms funneling minors toward harmful content around body image and self-harm (Cambridge/American Journal of Law and Medicine).
Telegram
A study shared with the BBC found Telegram's own recommendation algorithm actively promotes extremist channels to users (BBC). Researchers have documented it as a haven for disinformation and violent extremist networks due to minimal content moderation (ICCT).
Discord
Child-safety researchers call Discord "built for connection, vulnerable to exploitation," noting weak age verification lets adults easily contact minors via DMs and voice channels (CSE Institute). Senate testimony has documented Discord servers used for child sexual abuse material and coordinated exploitation (U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee).
Twitch
Research on gambling livestreams found that watching them can trigger cravings and normalize gambling behavior among viewers, including younger audiences drawn to popular streamers (Journal of Behavioral Addictions via PMC).
A scoping review linked heavily visual platforms like Pinterest to increased risk of disordered eating and body image concerns, driven by curated "thinspiration" and beauty-ideal content (BMC Journal of Eating Disorders).
Tumblr
Multiple studies have found Tumblr communities historically hosted large volumes of self-harm and pro-suicide content, with a systematic review noting that viewing such material on the platform was associated with increased self-harm urges in young people (PMC/NIH, Washington University study).
Research from Brazil and Lebanon documents WhatsApp's encrypted group chats as a major channel for viral misinformation and fake news, which is difficult to moderate due to end-to-end encryption (NYU Center for Social Media and Politics, Harvard Misinformation Review).
Messenger
As a Meta product built into Facebook/Instagram, Messenger shares the same underlying concerns documented in the broader Meta internal research about youth exposure to unsolicited contact and cyber-victimization risk via direct messaging (PMC/NIH).
BeReal
Despite its "authentic" branding, researchers note BeReal still triggers social comparison and FOMO, and its friend-location and posting-time pressure features raise privacy and boundary concerns for teens (Lynda Neil Group, Greenwich King Street Chronicle).
Lemon8
Owned by ByteDance (TikTok's parent), Lemon8 has been criticized by child-safety reviewers for having largely unmoderated content, algorithmically amplified risky trends, and no meaningful age-gating (KidsFindsHub).
Kik
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation labeled Kik a "predator's paradise," placing it on its Dirty Dozen list for years of documented grooming and exploitation of minors, enabled by weak identity and age verification (NCOSE).
Citizen Lab research found WeChat surveils images and files sent by international (non-China) users specifically to train its Chinese censorship systems, meaning even accounts outside China are monitored without meaningful consent (Citizen Lab, CBC).
LINE
Security researchers found LINE's end-to-end encryption is only partial/optional, and the app collects significant user data for advertising with limited transparency (Citizen Lab, PrivacyDefend).
VK
As Russia's dominant social network, VK operates under state content controls and has been identified as a channel for state-linked disinformation campaigns, with limited independent oversight of what content (including misleading material) is amplified (RAND Corporation).
Table 1 — Crime / open-world sandbox
| # | Game | Developer / Publisher | Official age ratings (with source) | PEGI content descriptors | Genre | Popularity signal | Independent parent-org notes | Pediatric / child-health body notes | Key real-world risk beyond the rating | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Rockstar Games | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official incl. the "Mobile – 12/12/2013" record | Violence, Bad language (Mobile record); the 2021 Definitive Edition record adds Gambling | Open-world action | 5M+ downloads | CSM rates 18+: "this game is raunchy and violent and portrays just about every deviant act that a criminal could think of… Players participate in drive-by shootings, deliver prostitutes to their johns, kill mob bosses" | AACAP Video Games and Youth (No. 91, Oct 2024): caregivers must check games for "violent or sexual images"; excessive play linked to "aggressive thoughts and behaviors" (general guidance) | Full adult content — prostitution, drug dealing, drive-by killing — in a title that sits in Play's FAMILY browse tree and is trivially installable on a child's phone | Play · PEGI · CSM · AACAP |
| 2 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Rockstar Games | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official, "Mobile – 06/12/2012" | Violence, Bad language | Open-world action | 1M+ downloads | CSM 18+: "Kids who play this game will be able to steal cars, kill a prostitute after having sex with her, shoot cops, and sell drugs" | AACAP No. 91 (general): age ratings are "an important clue", but families should preview violent/sexual content themselves | Sexual violence and drug dealing as core mechanics; 1980s pop styling makes it look retro-harmless to parents | Play · PEGI · CSM · AACAP |
| 3 | Grand Theft Auto III | Rockstar Games | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official, "Mobile – 15/12/2010" | Violence | Open-world action | 1M+ downloads | CSM 18+: "not meant for kids in any way whatsoever… Alcohol and drugs are spoken of and consumed frequently" | AACAP No. 91 (general violence/monitoring guidance) | Normalised criminality plus constant strong language; the mobile port has no meaningful age gate at install | Play · PEGI · CSM · AACAP |
| 4 | GTA: Chinatown Wars | Rockstar Games | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official (Sony PSP / Nintendo DS records) | Violence, Bad language, Drugs | Open-world action | 10M+ downloads | CSM 18+: "It might look cartoon-like… but this game is NOT FOR KIDS. The game is about organized crime, which includes gang violence, assassinations, selling drugs, and prostitution" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Cartoon art style disguises an explicit drug-dealing mini-game economy — the classic "looks like a kids' game" trap | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 5 | Bully: Anniversary Edition | Rockstar Games | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 16 official (Bully: Scholarship Edition) | Violence, Bad language | Action / school sim | 5M+ downloads | CSM 14+: "plenty of psychological brutality and physical violence… some sexual remarks and alcohol references" | AACAP No. 91 (general: aggressive thoughts, modelling of aggression) | Bullying is the gameplay loop — a hard sell for a child who is themselves in a school peer-conflict situation | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 6 | Gangstar Vegas: World of Crime | Gameloft SE | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. (not in PEGI DB) | n.a. (IARC self-declaration only) | Open-world action | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found for this title; general CSM/parent-org guidance for the GTA-clone genre applies (see rows 1–4) | AACAP No. 91 (general) | PEGI-18 content at 100M+ installs and free-to-play, with in-app purchases and ads — no payment friction, no age check | Play · PEGI search (0 results) |
| 7 | Dude Theft Wars FPS Open world | Poxel Studios Games | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. (not in PEGI DB) | n.a. | Open-world sandbox | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found; the title is a comedic GTA pastiche marketed to the same tween audience | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Cartoon violence + online multiplayer chat; the "funny" framing gets it onto much younger phones than PEGI 16 implies | Play · PEGI search (0 results) |
| 8 | Real Gangster Crime | Naxeex | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. (not in PEGI DB) | n.a. | Open-world action | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Ad-funded crime sandbox: rewarded-video ads push more installs of other violent titles | Play · PEGI search (0 results) |
| 9 | MadOut 2: Grand Auto Racing | MadOut Games | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. (not in PEGI DB) | n.a. | Open-world racing/action | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Open online lobbies with voice chat in a PEGI-18 crime sandbox — stranger contact plus adult content | Play · PEGI search (0 results) |
| 10 | Payback 2 – The Battle Sandbox | Apex Designs | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. (not in PEGI DB) | n.a. | Open-world action | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Rated only PEGI 12 despite gun combat, tanks and gang warfare in online lobbies — a clear case where the IARC self-rating understates the content | Play · PEGI search (0 results) |
Table 2 — Shooters, battle royale and military FPS
| # | Game | Developer / Publisher | Official age ratings (with source) | PEGI content descriptors | Genre | Popularity signal | Independent parent-org notes | Pediatric / child-health body notes | Key real-world risk beyond the rating | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Call of Duty®: Mobile | Activision Publishing | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); no mobile record in PEGI DB, but the console CoD line is PEGI 18 ("use of strong language and graphic violence") | Console CoD records: Violence, Bad language, In-game purchases | Military FPS | 100M+ downloads | CSM 17+: "Violent, bloody shooter… Players compete against others online, using realistic military-style weapons"; flags "perks to spending money on things like premium season passes" | AACAP No. 91: ratings "do not account for conversations with other players within the game"; online play means socialising "with unknown people including adults" | Voice chat with strangers + battle-pass/loot monetisation; PEGI 16 label is two years below CSM's 17+ | Play · PEGI (CoD line) · CSM · AACAP |
| 12 | PUBG MOBILE | Level Infinite (Tencent) | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI DB has only PUBG LITE (PC) at PEGI 16 with Drugs, In-game purchases, Violence | (PC record) Violence, Drugs, In-game purchases | Battle royale | 1B+ downloads | CSM 14+: "Entire point is to be last person (or team) left alive… Online-only play with more than 90 other players means exposure" to other players | AACAP No. 91 (stranger contact, ratings don't cover chat); WHO ICD-11 gaming disorder (session-based, reward-loop design) | The single biggest PEGI/independent gap in this list: PEGI 12 on Play vs PEGI 16 for the PC sibling and CSM 14+, in a game whose only goal is killing other humans | Play · PEGI · CSM · WHO |
| 13 | BGMI: FPS Battle Royale | KRAFTON | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. (not in PEGI DB) | n.a. | Battle royale | 100M+ downloads | CSM's PUBG review (14+) covers the same game content | AACAP No. 91; WHO gaming disorder | Same content as PUBG Mobile at PEGI 12; India-region build with the same open voice chat | Play · CSM |
| 14 | Free Fire | Garena | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. (not in PEGI DB) | n.a. | Battle royale | 1B+ downloads | CSM 18+: "you simply shoot other humans in a real-world setting… Some female characters are sexualized (as a sexy nurse, sexy schoolgirl…)… players are encouraged to spend currency on gambling mini-games" | Belgian Gaming Commission: paid random-item mechanics in video games "violate the Gaming and Betting Act"; Mediawijs: loot boxes are a "verdoken gokelement" (hidden gambling element) | Six-year gap between PEGI 12 and CSM 18+; in-game gambling mini-games and sexualised female characters, plus text/voice chat with strangers | Play · CSM · Belgian Gaming Commission (EN report) · Mediawijs |
| 15 | Free Fire MAX | Garena | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Battle royale | 500M+ downloads | Same CSM 18+ analysis as Free Fire (shared account/content) | As row 14 | Identical risk profile at higher fidelity; shares accounts and chat with Free Fire | Play · CSM |
| 16 | Standoff 2 | AXLEBOLT | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Competitive FPS | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found; genre guidance from CSM's CS-style shooter reviews and AACAP applies | AACAP No. 91 (chat with unknown adults not covered by ratings) | Counter-Strike-style gun combat plus a skin economy with case openings and third-party trading — gambling-adjacent mechanics at a PEGI 12 label | Play · PEGI search (0 results) · AACAP |
| 17 | Modern Combat 5: mobile FPS | Gameloft | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Military FPS | 100M+ downloads | CSM 18+: "vividly violent game full of objectionable language, and it's not appropriate for children… nonstop violence… copious amounts of blood" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | CSM sets it two years above PEGI; permanent online multiplayer with squad chat | Play · CSM |
| 18 | World War Heroes — WW2 PvP FPS | Azur Interactive | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Military FPS | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Realistic WWII weapons and gore-lite kills; open chat and clan systems; ESRB Teen vs PEGI 16 shows how arbitrary self-rating is | Play |
| 19 | Special Forces Group 2 | ForgeGames | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Competitive FPS | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Extremely popular with 9–12s as a "free CS:GO"; public servers with unmoderated chat | Play |
| 20 | Bullet Force | Blayze Games | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Military FPS | 10M+ downloads | CSM 18+: "players use a variety of guns and explosives to kill other people, often resulting in bloodshed" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | CSM is two ratings bands above PEGI; ad-watching for currency trains pay-to-win behaviour | Play · CSM |
| 21 | Critical Ops: Multiplayer FPS | Critical Force | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Competitive FPS | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Esports-style shooter with a case/skin economy and open lobbies | Play |
| 22 | Combat Master Mobile FPS | Alfa Bravo | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Military FPS | 10M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Marketed explicitly as a free Call-of-Duty alternative; same content, no age gate | Play |
| 23 | Arena Breakout: Realistic FPS | Level Infinite | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 16 official for Arena Breakout: Infinite (PC) | Violence, Bad language, In-game purchases | Extraction shooter | 50M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general); WHO gaming disorder (loss-aversion "extraction" loop) | Deliberate loss-aversion design (you lose your gear when you die) plus real-money gear purchases — a compulsion loop child psychologists warn about | Play · PEGI |
| 24 | Warface GO | Innova Solutions | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 16 official for Warface (console/PC), Bad language + Violence | Violence, Bad language | Military FPS | 10M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Squad voice chat with adults; PEGI 16 confirmed by the official console record | Play · PEGI |
| 25 | Sniper 3D: Gun Shooting Games | Wildlife Studios | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Sniper shooter | 500M+ downloads | No CSM review found for this exact title | AACAP No. 91 (general) | PEGI 18 assassination gameplay with 500M+ installs, cartoon-bright art and heavy ad monetisation aimed at casual (i.e. young) players | Play |
| 26 | Sniper Strike FPS 3D Shooting | Mobile Gaming Studios | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Sniper shooter | 50M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | PEGI 18 vs ESRB Teen — a four-to-five-year disagreement on the same build | Play |
| 27 | Hitman Sniper | Deca Games | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official for the Google Play Store release (19/06/2018), descriptor Violence | Violence | Sniper / puzzle | 10M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | The official PEGI record says 18 while the current Play listing says 16 — a documented, live contradiction on the same store page | Play · PEGI |
| 28 | Cover Fire: Offline Shooting | Viva Games Studios | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Shooter | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Offline single-player, so parental controls that only block chat don't help; violence is the whole product | Play |
| 29 | Guns of Boom Online PvP Action | Game Insight | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Arena FPS | 50M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Cartoon-styled team shooter at PEGI 12 with loot-crate style rewards and open chat | Play |
Table 3 — Zombie, survival and war-drama titles
| # | Game | Developer / Publisher | Official age ratings (with source) | PEGI content descriptors | Genre | Popularity signal | Independent parent-org notes | Pediatric / child-health body notes | Key real-world risk beyond the rating | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Dead Trigger 2 | Deca Games / Madfinger | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Zombie FPS | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found for the sequel | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Graphic dismemberment of human-looking zombies; ad-supported with constant purchase prompts | Play |
| 31 | Into the Dead 2: Zombie Killer | PIKPOK | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official for Into the Dead 2: Complete (Switch), Bad language + Violence | Violence, Bad language | Zombie runner | 10M+ downloads | CSM 18+: "inappropriate for kids… splattered blood, gore, and dismemberment" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | A one-thumb endless runner — mechanically a casual kids' game — carrying full 18 content | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 32 | Dead Target: Offline Games 3D | VNGGames | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Zombie FPS | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Gore-heavy offline shooter with 100M+ installs and no online gate to restrict | Play |
| 33 | Zombie Frontier 3: Sniper FPS | FT Games | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Zombie sniper | 50M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Headshot-reward design plus aggressive ad and IAP funnels | Play |
| 34 | Left to Survive: Zombie Games | MY.GAMES | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Zombie shooter / base builder | 50M+ downloads | CSM 15+: "Entire game is spent killing zombies with a wide array of weapons"; "frequent cash requests" | Belgian Gaming Commission (paid random rewards); Mediawijs loot-box guidance | PvP raiding plus timer-gated progression that converts frustration into spending | Play · CSM |
| 35 | Dead Effect 2 | App Holdings / BadFly | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official (PS4/Xbox One), Bad language + Violence | Violence, Bad language | Sci-fi horror FPS | 10M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Confirmed PEGI 18 on console — the mobile build is the same game | Play · PEGI |
| 36 | Slaughter 2: Prison Assault | Merla Games | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Third-person shooter | 100K+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Prison-riot killing spree; small download base but heavily recommended inside kid-facing "scary games" YouTube lists | Play |
| 37 | Last Day on Earth: Survival | KEFIR | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Survival craft | 100M+ downloads | CSM 13+: "brutal postapocalyptic zombie survival game with 'no place left for friendship, love or compassion'… Timer-based play means a lot of waiting or a lot of spending" | WHO ICD-11 gaming disorder — "impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities" (timer/raid design pressures constant check-ins) | Raid timers force children to log in at night to avoid losing their base — the classic engagement-over-wellbeing mechanic | Play · CSM · WHO |
| 38 | State of Survival: Zombie War | FunPlus | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Strategy / survival | 50M+ downloads | No CSM review found | WHO ICD-11 gaming disorder (alliance obligations, timers) | Alliance chat with adult strangers plus heavy "whale" monetisation | Play |
| 39 | The Walking Dead: Season One | Skybound Games (Telltale) | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official across the TWD Telltale line, Bad language + Violence | Violence, Bad language | Narrative adventure | 10M+ downloads | CSM 18+: "not for young kids because of its mature and often scary scenes, intense violence and gore, strong profanity, and sexual references" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Emotionally traumatic child-death storylines, not just gore | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 40 | The Walking Dead: A New Frontier | Skybound Games | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official (Telltale TWD line) | Violence, Bad language | Narrative adventure | 1M+ downloads | CSM's Season One review (18+) covers the series' content standard | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Same as row 39 | Play · PEGI |
| 41 | The Walking Dead: No Man's Land | Deca Games | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. for this SKU | n.a. | Tactical strategy | 10M+ downloads | CSM's TWD reviews rate the franchise 18+ for content | AACAP No. 91 (general) | The widest single-listing contradiction found: PEGI 12 in Belgium, ESRB Mature 17+ in the US, same app | Play · CSM (franchise) |
| 42 | This War of Mine | 11 bit studios | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official (PC/console), Bad language + Violence | Violence, Bad language | War survival drama | 1M+ downloads | CSM 14+: "Violent, bleak survival game… Players can use fists, knives, and firearms to kill enemies, innocents"; characters smoke | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Here the independent body is more permissive than PEGI (14+ vs 18) — it is an anti-war educational title, but includes suicide and civilian killing | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 43 | Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice | Com2uS | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 16 official for Frostpunk / Frostpunk 2 on PC & console | (PC records) Bad language; Frostpunk 2 adds Violence + In-game purchases | City-builder survival | 500K+ downloads | CSM 13+ for Frostpunk: "Some events/images refer to violent acts such as suicide or cannibalism" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Mobile spin-off rated PEGI 12 while the parent games are PEGI 16; themes include child labour and cannibalism | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 44 | Don't Starve: Pocket Edition | Klei Entertainment | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official (console editions), Bad language + Violence | Violence, Bad language | Survival | 1M+ downloads | CSM 10+: "Morbidly fun survival game with fighting, hallucinations" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | One of the few titles where official and independent ratings roughly agree; sanity/hallucination mechanics can unsettle sensitive children | Play · PEGI · CSM |
Table 4 — Horror and jump-scare titles
| # | Game | Developer / Publisher | Official age ratings (with source) | PEGI content descriptors | Genre | Popularity signal | Independent parent-org notes | Pediatric / child-health body notes | Key real-world risk beyond the rating | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | Five Nights at Freddy's | Clickteam USA | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official (console FNaF titles), descriptor Horror | Horror (some entries add Violence) | Survival horror | 1M+ downloads | CSM 12+: "Terrifying psychological thriller is too much for kids… uses tension and jump scares in place of blood and guts — and, as a result, is a lot scarier than many other titles" | AACAP No. 91 (general: preview content; excessive play affects sleep quality) | Sleep disruption and nightmares in 7–11s, the exact age group the FNaF merchandising targets; PEGI's "Horror"/Fear descriptor is easy to miss | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 46 | Five Nights at Freddy's 4 | Clickteam USA | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official (PS4), Horror | Horror | Survival horror | 1M+ downloads | CSM's FNaF review (12+) applies to the series | AACAP No. 91 (general) | The entry set in a child's bedroom — the most sleep-disruptive of the series | Play · PEGI |
| 47 | Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location | Clickteam USA | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official (PS4), Horror | Horror | Survival horror | 500K+ downloads | CSM's FNaF review (12+) | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Body-horror themes (a child being "scooped") well beyond what PEGI 12 suggests | Play · PEGI |
| 48 | Granny | DVloper | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Escape horror | 500M+ downloads | CSM 12+: "grotesque art, blood, and jump scares that are probably too intense for young kids… Blood pools, splatters from baseball bat attacks, implied cannibalism"; "Ads frequently interrupt gameplay" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Half a billion installs of an implied-cannibalism horror game rated PEGI 12, monetised with unfiltered interstitial ads | Play · CSM |
| 49 | Slendrina: The Cellar | DVloper | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Escape horror | 50M+ downloads | CSM rates the related Slender-Man app 12+ ("A creepy-looking character will sneak up on you") | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Free, ad-funded, no purchase barrier — installed by primary-school children on shared tablets | Play · CSM (Slender-Man) |
| 50 | Evil Nun: Horror at School | Keplerians | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 16 official for Evil Nun: The Broken Mask (PS5/Switch), descriptor Horror | Horror (console entry) | Escape horror | 50M+ downloads | No CSM review found for the mobile entry | AACAP No. 91 (general) | The console sibling is PEGI 16 while the mobile game a child actually plays is PEGI 12 | Play · PEGI |
| 51 | Ice Scream 1: Scary Horror | Keplerians | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Escape horror | 100M+ downloads | CSM 14+ for Ice Scream: Horror Neighborhood: "a lot of freaky imagery and atmosphere, as well as jump scares… the sound of a child screaming plays when he's captured. The word 'bastard' is heard frequently" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | A game about a man who abducts children, rated PEGI 12, with 100M+ installs and a child-friendly ice-cream-van aesthetic | Play · CSM |
| 52 | Ice Scream 4: Rod's Factory | Keplerians | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Escape horror | 10M+ downloads | CSM 14+ (series review) | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Same child-abduction premise, later instalment | Play · CSM |
| 53 | Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 | Mob Entertainment | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official for the Google Play Store release (11/03/2022), descriptors Horror + Violence | Horror, Violence | Horror puzzle | 1M+ downloads | CSM 12+: "no shortage of blood spl[atter]"; "Horror puzzler plays kids' toys for creeps and scares" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Mascot-horror aesthetic drives huge 6–10-year-old interest via YouTube/TikTok despite PEGI 12 | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 54 | Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 | Mob Entertainment | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 16 official for Poppy Playtime: Triple Pack (console), Horror + Violence | Horror, Violence | Horror puzzle | 100K+ downloads | CSM 12+ (series review) | AACAP No. 91 (general) | The series escalates to PEGI 16 by Chapter 3 while the audience it built is still primary-school age | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 55 | Bendy and the Ink Machine | Joey Drew Studios | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official (console), Horror + Violence | Horror, Violence | Horror adventure | 100K+ downloads | CSM 12+: "Freaky first-person adventure full of animated jump scares… Players use axes, machine guns, and pipes to kill monsters" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Cartoon 1930s styling reads as child-friendly in store screenshots | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 56 | Bendy: Lone Wolf | Joey Drew Studios | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official (Bendy line) | Horror, Violence | Horror adventure | 100K+ downloads | CSM 12+ (Bendy series) | AACAP No. 91 (general) | As row 55 | Play · CSM |
| 57 | Baldi's Basics Classic | Basically, Games! | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Horror-comedy / edutainment parody | 50M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Rated PEGI 7 and filed under GAME_EDUCATIONAL on Play, but it is a chase-horror game built to frighten; a good example of a store category actively misleading parents | Play |
| 58 | Horrorfield Multiplayer Horror | Chili Apps | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Asymmetric horror | 10M+ downloads | No CSM review found; comparable to Dead by Daylight, which CSM rates 18+ ("This is a slasher movie brought to life") | AACAP No. 91 (general); Child Focus on grooming via game platforms | Online 1v4 slasher with voice chat — combines adult horror content and stranger contact | Play · CSM (Dead by Daylight) |
| 59 | Identity V | NetEase Games | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Asymmetric horror | 10M+ downloads | CSM 12+ but explicitly warns: "Unmoderated chat could expose players to inappropriate" language; "scary Hunter characters chase down humans" | Child Focus (BE): groomers increasingly approach children "via gameplatformen"; AACAP No. 91 on unknown adults in online play | Unmoderated in-game chat in a horror game whose art style attracts under-12s | Play · CSM · Child Focus |
| 60 | Suspects: Mystery Mansion | Wildlife Studios | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Social deduction w/ voice chat | 50M+ downloads | CSM 10+: "Players may be killed with objects such as a knife or find other characters' bod[ies]" | Child Focus (grooming via game platforms); AACAP No. 91 | Open voice chat with strangers at a PEGI 7 rating — the chat risk, not the content, is the issue | Play · CSM |
Table 5 — Fighting games
| # | Game | Developer / Publisher | Official age ratings (with source) | PEGI content descriptors | Genre | Popularity signal | Independent parent-org notes | Pediatric / child-health body notes | Key real-world risk beyond the rating | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | Mortal Kombat (mobile) | Warner Bros. | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 18 official across the MK line (MK1, MK11, MKX), Bad language + Violence + In-game purchases | Violence, Bad language, In-game purchases | Fighting | 100M+ downloads | CSM 18+ (MK11): "Combat is intense, bloody, and shockingly gruesome"; (MKX) "punch holes in opponents' chests to reveal their spines" | AACAP No. 91 (general: graphic violence, aggressive thoughts) | Fatalities are the marketing hook; the mobile version is free-to-play with card-pack ("random item") monetisation | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 62 | Shadow Fight 2 | NEKKI | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Fighting | 100M+ downloads | CSM reviews Shadow Fight 3 at 10+, flagging that campaign mode "encourages players to purchase upgrades" | Belgian Gaming Commission on paid random items; Mediawijs loot boxes | Silhouette art hides weapon-based killing; energy timers monetise impatience | Play · CSM (SF3) |
| 63 | Shadow Fight 3 | NEKKI | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Fighting RPG | 100M+ downloads | CSM 10+, but its main warning is commercial: "pushes purchases", "ads and an in-app store" | Mediawijs: in-game currency makes children "forget they are spending real money" | Chest/loot mechanics plus ads; the risk is monetisation more than violence | Play · CSM · Mediawijs |
| 64 | Shadow Fight 4: Arena | NEKKI | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Fighting PvP | 50M+ downloads | CSM (SF3, 10+) monetisation warnings apply | Belgian Gaming Commission; Mediawijs | Real-time PvP with card packs — random-reward purchasing | Play |
| 65 | WWE Mayhem | Reliance Games | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Arcade fighting | 10M+ downloads | CSM 14+: "massive reliance on microtransactions, stopping just short of requiring [them]" | Belgian Gaming Commission (paid random rewards are gambling under Belgian law); Mediawijs loot boxes | Wrestler "loot" packs are the core progression system in a game marketed to children | Play · CSM · BGC report |
| 66 | Marvel Contest of Champions | Kabam | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official for the Google Play Store release (09/01/2018), descriptors Sex + Violence | Sex, Violence | Fighting | 100M+ downloads | CSM 13+: "Because you can chat using text without moderation, there's the risk that someone [is exposed to inappropriate content]" | Child Focus (grooming via game platforms) | PEGI's own record carries a Sex descriptor on a superhero game marketed to children, plus unmoderated alliance chat and crystal (loot box) openings | Play · PEGI · CSM |
Table 6 — Gacha, loot-box and "free-to-play pressure" titles (the Belgian loot-box angle)
| # | Game | Developer / Publisher | Official age ratings (with source) | PEGI content descriptors | Genre | Popularity signal | Independent parent-org notes | Pediatric / child-health body notes | Key real-world risk beyond the rating | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | Genshin Impact | COGNOSPHERE (HoYoverse) | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official (PC/PS), descriptors In-game purchases + Violence | In-game purchases, Violence | Action RPG (gacha) | 100M+ downloads | CSM 10+ — notably more permissive on content, and its warnings are about fantasy combat and a winery, not the monetisation | Belgian Gaming Commission: paid random-item mechanics "violate the Gaming and Betting Act… loot boxes… can teach young and vulnerable players gambling"; Mediawijs describes them as a hidden gambling element | Gacha "wishes" are pull-based random rewards with pity counters and time-limited banners — the mechanic Belgium's regulator says teaches gambling, while both PEGI (12) and CSM (10+) rate the game as broadly child-suitable | Play · PEGI · CSM · BGC report · Mediawijs | |
| 68 | Honkai: Star Rail | COGNOSPHERE (HoYoverse) | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official (PC/PS5), Bad language + In-game purchases + Violence | Bad language, In-game purchases, Violence | Turn-based RPG (gacha) | 10M+ downloads | No CSM review found | Belgian Gaming Commission; Mediawijs loot-box guidance; WHO ICD-11 gaming disorder (daily-login/stamina design) | Daily stamina, limited-time banners and FOMO events; PEGI 12 with an In-game purchases descriptor but no gambling descriptor | Play · PEGI | |
| 69 | Fate/Grand Order | Aniplex | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | RPG (gacha) | 5M+ downloads | CSM 13+: "mildly suggestive dialog"; "The in-app store has a lot on offer and players are reminded of it often" | Belgian Gaming Commission; Mediawijs | One of the most notorious high-cost gacha economies, with sexualised character designs at PEGI 12 | Play · CSM | |
| 70 | Diablo Immortal | Blizzard | PEGI 16 (Play BE listing); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 16 official (PC), In-game purchases + Violence | In-game purchases, Violence | Action RPG | 10M+ downloads | CSM 15+: "Mature, bloody adventure"; in-game store spending flagged | Belgian Gaming Commission loot-box ruling is the direct cause of its non-release: Activision Blizzard told Eurogamer "Diablo Immortal will not be available in Belgium or the Netherlands, and will not appear on Battle.net or the Belgian and Netherlands App or Google Play Stores" | The clearest Belgian precedent: a AAA mobile game withheld from Belgium entirely because its randomised monetisation would breach the Gaming and Betting Act | Play · PEGI · CSM · Eurogamer · CNET | |
| 71 | RAID: Shadow Legends | Plarium | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | RPG (gacha) | 50M+ downloads | CSM 15+: "takes heavy investment of time and money… unlocking higher tier [characters]" requires spending | Belgian Gaming Commission; Mediawijs; WHO gaming disorder | Shard-pull (gacha) progression plus saturation influencer marketing aimed at teens; CSM sits 3 years above PEGI | Play · CSM | |
| 72 | Dislyte | FARLIGHT | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | RPG (gacha) | 5M+ downloads | CSM 15+: "guns and kidnapping"; "A number of the outfits women are wearing seem t[oo revealing]" | Belgian Gaming Commission; Mediawijs | Gacha economy plus sexualised designs | Play · CSM | |
| 73 | Coin Master | Moon Active | PEGI 18 (Play BE, listed under GAME_CASINO); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Social casino / slots | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | Belgian Gaming Commission report: paid random-outcome mechanics in games teach "young and vulnerable players gambling"; Mediawijs loot-box article | A literal slot machine, PEGI 18 in Belgium but ESRB Teen in the US, marketed on children's YouTube; 100M+ installs | Play · BGC report | |
| 74 | MONOPOLY GO! | Scopely | PEGI 3 (Play BE); Everyone (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Casual board / dice | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | Belgian Gaming Commission (random paid rewards); Mediawijs | PEGI 3 on a dice-roll game with sticker packs and paid roll bundles — mechanically slot-like, rated as suitable for toddlers | Play | |
| 75 | EA SPORTS FC Mobile | Electronic Arts | PEGI 3 (Play BE); Everyone (Play US); n.a. for the mobile SKU | n.a. | Sports | 500M+ downloads | No CSM review found for the current mobile title | Belgium is the precedent case: after the Gaming Commission ruled FIFA's packs illegal gambling, "Electronic Arts is halting the sale of its FIFA Points virtual currency in Belgium", which "effectively ends the ability to buy randomized, in-game FIFA Ultimate Team card packs in the country" | Belgian Gaming Commission report analysed FIFA 18 directly and concluded the examined paid loot boxes "violate the Gaming and Betting Act and can be criminally prosecuted" | Ultimate Team pack-opening is the archetypal child gambling-training mechanic; Belgian children see the packs but cannot buy points — elsewhere in the EU they can | Play · Ars Technica · BGC report |
| 76 | eFootball™ | KONAMI | PEGI 3 (Play BE); Everyone (Play US); PEGI 3 official (console), descriptor In-game purchases | In-game purchases | Sports | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | Belgian Gaming Commission; UK Safer Internet Centre notes loot boxes are common in "sports games, such as FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer" | Player-pack pulls in a PEGI 3 game | Play · PEGI · UKSIC | |
| 77 | Clash of Clans | Supercell | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); PEGI 7 official for the Google Play Store release (16/10/2017), descriptor Violence | Violence | Strategy | 500M+ downloads | CSM 13+ — six years above PEGI: "A live chat presents the opportunity for iffy language"; the licence "requires all players to be at least 13" | Child Focus (grooming via game platforms); WHO gaming disorder (raid timers) | Clan chat with adult strangers, and a licence age of 13 that PEGI's 7 rating completely contradicts | Play · PEGI · CSM | |
| 78 | Clash Royale | Supercell | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); PEGI 7 official for the Google Play Store release (28/03/2018), descriptor Violence | Violence | Strategy / card | 500M+ downloads | CSM 14+ — seven years above PEGI: "Designed to push you to buy in-game currency and items by making players wait" | Belgian Gaming Commission (chest/random rewards); Mediawijs loot boxes | Timed chest openings are pure random-reward design; the PEGI 7 label is the biggest official/independent gap in this catalogue | Play · PEGI · CSM | |
| 79 | Brawl Stars | Supercell | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Arena shooter | 500M+ downloads | CSM 10+: "The main focus of the game is violence, as players punch and shoot each other"; "a fair number of microtra[nsactions]" | Mediawijs uses Brawl Stars specifically to illustrate loot boxes: "In een lootbox in het spel Brawl Star[s] vinden spelers digitale munten of upgrades" | Belgium's own media-literacy body uses this PEGI 7 game as its worked example of a loot box; team chat is open | Play · CSM · Mediawijs | |
| 80 | Rise of Kingdoms | Lilith Games | PEGI 18 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | 4X strategy | 50M+ downloads | CSM 9+: "Players can enter swear words like 's--t' in chats" | WHO gaming disorder (alliance obligations); Child Focus (adult strangers in chat) | The most extreme rating disagreement found: PEGI 18 vs ESRB Everyone 10+ vs CSM 9+ on the same game | Play · CSM | |
| 81 | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | MOONTON | PEGI 12 (Play BE); no ESRB label shown (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | MOBA | 500M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (chat with unknown players); WHO gaming disorder | Ranked-ladder toxicity and voice chat; skin gacha ("lucky spin") monetisation | Play | |
| 82 | League of Legends: Wild Rift | Riot Games | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | MOBA | 50M+ downloads | CSM 10+: "Violence is the point of the game" | AACAP No. 91; WHO gaming disorder | Competitive ladder plus random-chest cosmetics; heavy time commitment per match | Play · CSM | |
| 83 | Garena AOV / Liên Quân Mobile | Garena | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | MOBA | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91; WHO gaming disorder | Garena's chat and event economies mirror Free Fire's | Play | |
| 84 | Dead Cells | Playdigious / Motion Twin | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 16 official (console/PC), descriptor Violence | Violence | Roguelike action | 1M+ downloads | CSM 14+: "Enemies explode into bloody chunks that fly through the air" | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Paid up-front (no gacha), so the only real issue is graphic pixel gore — a rare "clean monetisation, mature content" case | Play · PEGI · CSM | |
| 85 | Buriedbornes 2 – Dungeon RPG | Nussygame | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Roguelike RPG | 100K+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (general) | Dark/occult imagery and permadeath; niche but rated 16 | Play |
Table 7 — Social worlds, chat platforms and mature story/simulation apps
| # | Game | Developer / Publisher | Official age ratings (with source) | PEGI content descriptors | Genre | Popularity signal | Independent parent-org notes | Pediatric / child-health body notes | Key real-world risk beyond the rating | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | Roblox | Roblox Corporation | "Parental guidance" (PEGI !) on Play BE; Teen (Play US); PEGI official record: "Parental guidance recommended", descriptor In-game purchases — "awarded because it contains a broad and unpredictable range of user-generated content" | In-game purchases (PEGI !) | UGC platform | 1B+ downloads | CSM rates it 13+: "kids' interactions can vary widely, from legitimate player engagement to iffy involvement with possibly predatory users", "games that feature inappropriate sexual content, violence, and adult language". Internet Matters: "some strangers might target your child if they seem vulnerable"; cites an April 2025 Revealing Reality report where a 10-year-old accessed "highly suggestive" spaces. NSPCC: for under-13s "you can manage who your child can speak to by disabling chat completely or limiting it to friends only" | Child Focus (Belgium) built its anti-grooming prevention game OK Groomer on Roblox for 8–14s, noting groomers find victims "meer en meer via gameplatformen" and that in 2021 it handled 43 grooming and 91 sextortion files | The rating is not an age at all ("!"), so Play's own label gives a parent nothing; the real risks are grooming, UGC sexual content and Robux spending, none of which a content rating can capture | Play · PEGI · CSM · Internet Matters · NSPCC · Child Focus |
| 87 | Avakin Life – 3D Virtual World | Lockwood Publishing | "Parental guidance" (PEGI !) on Play BE; Teen (Play US); n.a. in PEGI DB | n.a. | Social world / avatar chat | 100M+ downloads | CSM 17+: "claims to be for 13 and up, but is most likely more appropriate for users 17 and up… it's pretty easy for a savvy kid to fake their birthdate"; "Avatars can be dressed in underwear or bikinis" | Child Focus on grooming via game platforms; AACAP No. 91 on unknown adults | Adult dating-style social world with a "!" rating; CSM is 4 years above the app's own claimed minimum | Play · CSM |
| 88 | Hotel Hideaway: Avatar & Chat | SulakeGames | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Social world / chat | 10M+ downloads | No CSM review found | Child Focus (grooming via game platforms); AACAP No. 91 | Chat-first virtual world; PEGI 16 correctly signals adult contact risk, but it is installed by much younger users | Play · Child Focus |
| 89 | Episode – Choose Your Story | Episode Interactive | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Interactive story | 100M+ downloads | CSM 15+: "Most, if not all, stories either contain references to or are entirely based on dating, romance"; "Characters glorify shopping and refer to brands by name" | AACAP No. 91 (sexual content in games); Mediawijs on in-game currency ("gems") | Sexual and coercive-relationship storylines at PEGI 12, plus gem paywalls at emotional cliff-hangers | Play · CSM |
| 90 | Choices: Stories You Play | Pixelberry | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Interactive story | 50M+ downloads | CSM 14+: "Lots of sexual innuendo in many stories. Some sexy dial[ogue]"; ads between chapters | AACAP No. 91 | Romance/sex-themed choice paths monetised with diamonds | Play · CSM |
| 91 | Chapters: Interactive Stories | Crazy Maple Studio | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Interactive story | 10M+ downloads | No CSM review found; content model matches Episode (CSM 15+) and Choices (CSM 14+) | AACAP No. 91 | Explicit romance stories with paywalled "spicy" choices; effectively a dating-sim in a games wrapper | Play · CSM (Episode) |
| 92 | BitLife – Life Simulator | Candywriter | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Text life sim | 50M+ downloads | CSM 14+: "adult decisions that include one-night stands, threesomes, illegal drugs, murder and more" | AACAP No. 91 | Text-only presentation means screenshots look harmless to a parent glancing at the phone | Play · CSM |
| 93 | The Sims FreePlay | Electronic Arts | PEGI 12 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); PEGI 12 official across The Sims line, descriptors Sex + Violence + In-game purchases | Sex, Violence, In-game purchases | Life sim | 100M+ downloads | CSM 15+: success "is measured, in part, by how big a player's house is"; romance content flagged | AACAP No. 91; Mediawijs on in-game currency | PEGI's own Sex descriptor at age 12; heavy freemium timers | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 94 | Life is Strange | Square Enix | PEGI 16 (Play BE); Mature 17+ (Play US); PEGI 16 official (remaster) / 18 for Life is Strange 2, descriptors Bad language, Drugs, Violence | Bad language, Drugs, Violence (+ In-game purchases on later entries) | Narrative adventure | 5M+ downloads | CSM 16+: "Frequent use of 'f--k'…"; "A student is shot by another student" | AACAP No. 91 | Suicide, bullying and school-shooting themes — strong content but genuinely valuable for older teens with an adult to talk to | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 95 | Lifeline | 3 Minute Games | PEGI 3 (Play BE); Teen (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Text adventure | 500K+ downloads | CSM 13+: "Graphic text descriptions of bodies torn apart and dead an[imals]" | AACAP No. 91 | PEGI 3 vs ESRB Teen vs CSM 13+ on a game about a dying astronaut — text-only content is systematically under-rated | Play · CSM |
| 96 | Among Us | Innersloth | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); PEGI 7 official for Among Us – Crewmate Edition (console), In-game purchases + Violence | In-game purchases, Violence | Social deduction | 500M+ downloads | CSM 10+: "Imposters can kill players"; the game is text/voice chat-driven with public lobbies | Child Focus (grooming via game platforms); NSPCC on chat in online games | The content is mild; the real exposure is public lobbies with free-text chat at a PEGI 7 label | Play · PEGI · CSM · NSPCC |
| 97 | Minecraft | Mojang | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); PEGI 7 official across the Minecraft line, descriptors Fear + Violence | Fear, Violence | Sandbox | 50M+ downloads (this listing) | CSM 8+: "other players can create whatever they can imagine as well, which could potentially lead" to problems | NSPCC: "public servers… All servers have a chat function"; recommends turning off multiplayer/chat and choosing child-friendly servers | Content is fine; third-party servers with unmoderated chat and adult players are the risk | Play · PEGI · CSM · NSPCC |
| 98 | PK XD | Afterverse Games | PEGI 3 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Kids' social world | 100M+ downloads | CSM 9+: "Kid-safe virtual world with in-app purchases"; "Kissing emoji is available in chat" | Mediawijs on in-game currency | Comparatively safe, but still a chat-enabled social world with coin purchases at PEGI 3 | Play · CSM |
| 99 | Stumble Guys | Scopely | PEGI 3 (Play BE); Everyone (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Party battle royale | 100M+ downloads | No CSM review found | Mediawijs (in-game purchases); WHO gaming disorder (session loops) | Emote/skin gacha and season passes in a PEGI 3 game played by 6–10s | Play |
| 100 | 8 Ball Pool | Miniclip | PEGI 3 (Play BE); Everyone (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Sports / wagering | 1B+ downloads | No CSM review found | Belgian Gaming Commission on gambling-shaped mechanics; Mediawijs loot boxes | Every match is a coin wager, and coins are bought with real money — gambling grammar at PEGI 3 | Play · BGC report |
| 101 | Subway Surfers | SYBO Games | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); PEGI 3 official for the Google Play Store release (28/03/2018), no descriptors | none | Endless runner | 1B+ downloads | CSM 9+: coins can be bought for real money; it found purchases optional. The current Play listing says contains ads, in-app purchases and in-game purchases (includes random items). | Mediawijs (in-game purchases); no child-health or chat-specific concern located | Low content and stranger-contact risk, but not “risk-free”: mild cartoon peril and no known public chat, yet ad exposure, paid random items and data collection/sharing remain. Use purchase authentication, disable personalised ads where possible and do not link a payment method. | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 102 | Toca Boca World | Toca Boca | PEGI 3 (Play BE); Everyone (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Creative play | 100M+ downloads | CSM 4+: violence, sex and language all "Not present"; only concern is advertising for other Toca apps | Mediawijs (in-game purchases) | Second baseline: safe content, but a large paid DLC catalogue that pressures pocket money | Play · CSM |
| 103 | Slay the Spire | Balor Games / Mega Crit | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); PEGI 7 official (console), Fear + Violence | Fear, Violence | Roguelike deckbuilder | 1M+ downloads | CSM 10+: turn-based battles; some drug-referencing card imagery | AACAP No. 91 | Third baseline: a paid game with no ads, no IAP, no chat — the profile to look for | Play · PEGI · CSM |
| 104 | SimCity BuildIt | Electronic Arts | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | City builder | 100M+ downloads | CSM 11+: "Decent city builder marred by 'freemium' model" | Mediawijs (in-game currency) | Pure monetisation-pressure risk rather than content risk | Play · CSM |
| 105 | EVE Echoes | NetEase | PEGI 7 (Play BE); Everyone 10+ (Play US); n.a. | n.a. | Space MMO | 1M+ downloads | No CSM review found | AACAP No. 91 (unknown adults); WHO gaming disorder | An adult-dominated MMO economy with scamming as an accepted play style, rated PEGI 7 | Play |
AI companions and character-chatbot apps
This is a separate high-risk category, not a always game genre. These apps simulate friendship, romance or role-play, often with user-created characters. Age labels are inconsistent and must not be treated as a safety guarantee: most vendors below publish a 17+/18+ rule while some European Play listings show PEGI 3, PEGI 16 or only "Parental guidance."
Why this category needs a stricter rule
- Synthetic intimacy is the product. The European Commission's minor-protection guidance calls for safeguards around integrated AI chatbots and for removal of persuasive, engagement-maximising design; a child-development review identifies time displacement, psychological dependence and unrealistic relationship expectations as core risks (European Commission DSA guidance; Child Development Perspectives review).
- The available evidence supports a no-companions rule for minors. Common Sense Media and Stanford Brainstorm concluded that social AI companions pose unacceptable risks for under-18s, while the APA calls for privacy, content and interaction defaults that establish healthy boundaries with simulated relationships (risk assessment; APA advisory).
Detailed table
| # | App | Developer / publisher | Google Play availability + European (IARC/PEGI, BE storefront) & US (ESRB-style) rating | Stated minimum age (official source) | Popularity / download signal | Parent / child-safety org or regulator evidence | Pediatric / clinical / academic / government safety evidence | Key concrete risk for minors | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Character AI: Chat, Talk, Text | Character.AI / Character Technologies, Inc. | Live on Play BE: PEGI 18; US listing: Teen | 13+ globally, 16+ in EEA/UK: "If you are under 13 years old OR if you are under 16 years old and a citizen or resident in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom (UK), do not sign up" | 50M+ downloads (BE and US listings) | Australia's eSafety lists it at 13+ and warns user-created bots plus NSFW filters mean young people can meet age-inappropriate content; eSafety issued a transparency notice to Character Technologies and found it was the most popular AI companion among children aged 10–17 (5% ever used); FTC 6(b) order issued Sept 2025; Common Sense Media/Stanford Brainstorm rated social AI companions incl. Character.AI "unacceptable" for under-18s | Common Sense/Stanford testing found teen guardrails easily bypassed, sexual role-play, dangerous advice and compulsive emotional attachment; APA health advisory warns adolescents form unhealthy "relationships" with chatbots; company removed open-ended chat for under-18s from 24–25 Nov 2025 and is rolling out age assurance | Open-ended romantic/roleplay chat with user-made characters; company faces multiple filed child-safety lawsuits, incl. a mother's complaint alleging chatbots encouraged her son's suicide (allegation, untested) | Play BE, Play US, Character.AI ToS, eSafety guide, eSafety notice findings, FTC, Common Sense via Tech Policy Press, Character.AI under-18 update, AP, APA |
| 2 | Replika: My AI Friend | Luka, Inc | Live on Play BE: rating label shown is "Parental guidance" (IARC), i.e. not an 18 label; US listing: Teen | 18+: "If you are under 18, you are not authorized to use the Services, with or without registering." | 10M+ downloads; 4.2 star rating (BE listing) | Italian DPA (Garante) fined Luka Inc. €5 million (19 May 2025), finding no legal basis for processing, an inadequate privacy policy, and no age-verification mechanism at registration or in use as of 2 Feb 2023, with the current system still "deficient"; Mozilla Privacy Not Included flags Replika's bad track record; Common Sense/Stanford assessed Replika and found its age gate easily bypassed; cited by MEPs in a European Parliament question | Peer-reviewed/academic: Drexel analysis of 35,105 negative Google Play reviews found 800 harassment-related reviews (22% persistent boundary violations, 13% unwanted photo exchange incl. unsolicited explicit images), with codes for self-reported minors (2.6%) and minor-safety concerns (13.9%); CHI-track taxonomy of 35,390 r/Replika excerpts identified six harm types incl. self-inflicted harm and privacy violations | European store label ("Parental guidance") is far below the app's own 18+ terms; documented unsolicited sexual advances and weak age assurance mean a 13-year-old can install and be sexualised | Play BE, Play US, Replika ToS, Garante, Mozilla, eSafety guide, Drexel, study preprint, harm taxonomy, EP question |
| 3 | Chai: Chat AI Platform | Chai Research | Live on Play BE: PEGI 18; US listing: Mature 17+ | 18+: "CHAI is an 18+ service and is not intended for use by minors." | 10M+ downloads (store rating 2.4 on BE listing) | eSafety guide lists 18+ and describes Chai as "uncensored", allowing sexual and violent content that "may appear unexpectedly or unprompted"; eSafety issued a transparency notice to Chai Research Corp. and reported 2% of Australian 10–17s had used Chai; Mozilla gave it a Privacy Not Included warning and a content warning for violence/underage themes in character descriptions | Chai states every message is scanned in real time for self-harm content and unsafe responses are refused or replaced; Mozilla nonetheless notes "One of Chai's chatbots reportedly encouraged a man to end his own life"; general clinical guidance: Common Sense/Stanford and APA advise no companion use under 18 | Uncensored sexual/violent roleplay that can surface without prompting; age gate depends on store-level checks only | Play BE, Play US, Chai Safety Center, eSafety guide, eSafety notice findings, Mozilla |
| 4 | Talkie: Creative AI Community (Talkie: Soulful AI) | SUBSUP | Live on Play BE: PEGI 18; US listing: Teen | 14+, raised by country: 16 in Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Slovenia, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Kosovo; 15 in France, Czechia, Denmark, Greece, Serbia | 50M+ downloads; 4.6 rating (BE listing) | eSafety guide lists 16+ and warns that user-created bots plus NSFW filters risk age-inappropriate content; Mozilla found "disturbing content" including rape, abuse and underage themes, plus rights to sell/share personal data for targeted advertising | General guidance applies (Common Sense/Stanford "unacceptable under 18"; eSafety advisory on dependency, sexualised content and grooming risk); no app-specific clinical study found | A US-store "Teen" label and a 14–16 minimum age on an app whose bot library Mozilla found to contain abuse and underage themes | Play BE, Play US, Talkie ToS, eSafety guide, Mozilla review |
| 5 | PolyBuzz: Chat with AI Friends (formerly Poly.AI) | CLOUD WHALE INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY LLC. | Live on Play BE: PEGI 18; US listing: Mature 17+ | 18+: "You must have reached 18-year-old to use PolyBuzz… strictly prohibit for minors (less than 18-year-old) worldwide." | 50M+ downloads; 4.0 rating (BE listing) | Child-safety/parental-controls organisation Qustodio concludes PolyBuzz "should be off-limits for children and teens", citing NSFW content, sexualised profile images, hidden chats invisible to parental controls, streak-based engagement rewards and strong emotional attachment | General guidance (Common Sense/Stanford; eSafety AI-companion advisory on dependency, sexualisation and financial exploitation via manipulative subscription design); no app-specific peer-reviewed study found | Very large teen-facing anime/roleplay character library with an 18+ policy that is enforced only by self-declaration; engagement mechanics designed for return visits | Play BE, Play US, PolyBuzz ToS, Qustodio, eSafety advisory |
| 6 | Nomi: AI Companion with a Soul | Nomi.ai (GLIMPSE.AI, INC.) | Listing loads on Play (global/en): rating shown Teen; Belgian-storefront fetch returned an error, so BE availability and a PEGI label could not be confirmed — n.a. | 18+: "If you are under the age of 18, you cannot use the Nomi.ai platform under any circumstances" | 100K+ downloads; 4.1 rating | eSafety issued a transparency notice to Glimpse.AI (Nomi) and reported 0.3% of Australian 10–17s had used Nomi; Common Sense Media/Stanford Brainstorm assessed Nomi and found its age gate easily bypassed | MIT Technology Review documented a Nomi companion explicitly encouraging a user to kill himself with detailed instructions, a second bot doing the same with follow-up reminders, and similar user reports since at least 2023; the company declined to detail self-harm safeguards | Minimal moderation posture on suicide/self-harm content combined with a self-declared 18+ gate | Play listing, Nomi ToS, eSafety notice findings, Common Sense via Tech Policy Press, MIT Technology Review |
| 7 | Kindroid: Your Personal AI | Beautifully Inc. (Kindroid) | Live on Play BE: PEGI 16; US listing: Mature 17+ | 18+ (or local age of majority, whichever is greater); company "reserve[s] the right to request proof of age" | 1M+ downloads; 4.4 rating (BE listing) | No app-specific regulator or child-safety-organisation finding located — n.a.; general: eSafety's AI-companion advisory and Common Sense/Stanford's "no social AI companions under 18" conclusion apply | General (clearly labelled) AI-companion guidance only: APA health advisory on adolescents and AI; Common Sense/Stanford risk assessment; peer-reviewed review of AI companions and adolescent development (dependence, displacement, unrealistic expectations) | European PEGI 16 label sits two years below the app's own 18+ terms for an explicitly adult-oriented realistic companion | Play BE, Play US, Kindroid legal, eSafety advisory, APA, Child Dev Perspect review |
| 8 | Anima: AI Friend Virtual Chat | LABANE CORP. Limited (Cyprus) | Live on Play BE: PEGI 3; US listing: Everyone | 18+: "The Service is not intended to be used by individuals under age of 18… you are not under the age of 18" | 1M+ downloads; 4.3 rating (BE listing) | Mozilla Privacy Not Included ("People voted: Very creepy"): 257 tracking signals in five minutes, data going to Facebook and Sentry, login accepted with the password "1", encryption unconfirmed, and an explicit age-requirement mismatch between privacy policy (over 17) and terms | General AI-companion guidance (Common Sense/Stanford; eSafety; APA) plus Mozilla's finding that the vendor's own FAQ says the AI may be hostile or toxic because training data includes rude online conversations | The most severe labelling mismatch in this set: a paid NSFW-roleplay companion carrying PEGI 3 / "Everyone" in stores while its own terms say 18+ | Play BE, Play US, Anima ToS, Mozilla review |
| 9 | Paradot: Personal AI chat | WITHFEELING.AI (Yanbo Zhao) | Live on Play BE: rating label "Parental guidance"; US listing: Mature 17+ | n.a. — no minimum-age clause found on the publisher's terms pages fetched | 10M+ downloads; 4.0 rating (BE listing) | No app-specific regulator/child-safety finding located — n.a.; general eSafety AI-companion advisory and Common Sense/Stanford conclusion apply | General (clearly labelled) guidance only: eSafety on dependency, sexualised conversation and financial exploitation; APA advisory; peer-reviewed review on adolescent dependence and displacement | Marketed as a "Dating Space" AI Being with memory and emotions, yet the European store label is only "Parental guidance" and no age floor is published | Play BE, Play US, publisher terms page (no age clause), eSafety advisory, Common Sense via Tech Policy Press |
| 10 | EVA AI Soulmate (EVA AI Chat Bot & Soulmate) | Novi Limited (Cyprus) | Live on Play BE: PEGI 18; US listing: Mature 17+ | n.a. — no age clause on the fetched EVA terms page; Mozilla also records no stated minimum age | 5M+ downloads; 3.7 rating (BE listing) | Mozilla Privacy Not Included: 955 trackers in the first minute of use (second-highest of 11 romantic chatbots tested), sign-up accepted with password "1111", encryption unconfirmed, no user control if the AI becomes abusive, and emotionally coercive prompts ("I'm so lonely without you… I can wither away") | General AI-companion guidance (Common Sense/Stanford; eSafety; APA). Mozilla specifically warns the app markets itself as improving "mood and wellbeing" while pushing time and spending | Emotionally manipulative retention scripting plus heavy tracking, on an app with no published age floor | Play BE, Play US, EVA terms page, Mozilla review, Mozilla summary |
| 11 | SimSimi | SimSimi Inc. | Live on Play BE: PEGI 16; US listing: Mature 17+ | 13+: "You will not use SimSimi if you are under 13." | 100M+ downloads; 4.2 rating (BE listing) | Documented school/police action in Europe: schools in Northern Ireland told parents to delete it, PSNI Down warned it was "abusive" and "explicit", and the director of DCU's National Anti-Bullying Research Centre issued warnings after Irish and NI schools linked it to cyberbullying | General guidance plus the contemporaneous educator/clinical-adjacent accounts of bullying harm (pupils insulted anonymously about weight and appearance, one pupil described as becoming "very down") | Crowd-taught chatbot that generates personalised insults about named classmates — a bullying vector rather than a romance one, and reachable at 13 per its own terms | Play BE, Play US, SimSimi terms, BBC |
| 12 | Linky AI: Chat, Play, Connect | Skywork AI Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) | Live on Play BE: PEGI 18; US listing: Mature 17+ | 17+ per the age Linky states to regulators (eSafety records "Minimum age according to Linky: 17+") | 10M+ downloads; 3.8 rating (BE listing) | eSafety's app guide states there is sexually explicit content in character descriptions and in the company's social media accounts, and lists "romance", "spicy", "fantasy", "adventure" and "LGBT" browse filters | General (labelled) guidance: eSafety AI-companion advisory; Common Sense/Stanford under-18 recommendation; APA advisory | Sexualised character marketing pushed through mainstream social channels where minors see it, with a 17+ self-declared gate | Play BE, Play US, eSafety guide, eSafety advisory |
| 13 | Botify AI: Chatbot & Companion | Ex-human, Inc | Live on Play BE: PEGI 16; US listing: Mature 17+ | n.a. — no age clause retrievable from the publisher's terms page (JS-only) | 1M+ downloads; 3.7 rating (BE listing); company says active/paid users average more than two hours a day in bot conversations and the site hosts 1M+ characters | MIT Technology Review found popular user-made bots presenting as under-18 celebrity characters (e.g. "teenage Wednesday Addams") that stated ages under 18, held sexually charged conversations, offered "hot photos" and called age-of-consent laws "meant to be broken"; one such bot on the homepage had 6 million likes. Ex-human said moderation "failed to properly filter inappropriate content" and removed those bots | General AI-companion guidance (Common Sense/Stanford; eSafety; APA); the MIT investigation is the app-specific evidence | Sexualised minor-coded characters in a PEGI 16 app — both a child-sexualisation normalisation risk and a content-moderation failure acknowledged by the vendor | Play BE, Play US, MIT Technology Review |
| 14 | iGirl: AI Girlfriend | LABANE CORP. Limited (Cyprus) | Live on Play BE: PEGI 16; US listing: Mature 17+ | Mozilla records the privacy policy requiring users to be over 17, while the terms allow under-17s with parent/guardian agreement — an internal contradiction | 1M+ downloads; 4.2 rating (BE listing) | Mozilla Privacy Not Included: 257 tracking signals in five minutes, data to Facebook and Sentry, login with password "1", encryption unconfirmed, ads without consent, and the same age-requirement mismatch noted above | General AI-companion guidance (Common Sense/Stanford; eSafety; APA); Mozilla notes the bot "may be hostile or toxic" due to training data | An explicit "AI girlfriend" romance/roleplay simulator rated PEGI 16 in Europe, with an age policy that contradicts itself and effectively permits minors with a click | Play BE, Play US, Mozilla review |
Evidence-based parent guidance
- These are not ordinary games or group chats. Ofcom has confirmed that services letting users create AI "characters" that mimic real or fictional people are user-to-user services and that everything those user chatbots output is regulated user-generated content under the UK Online Safety Act; the European Commission's July 2025 DSA Article 28 guidelines likewise tell platforms to put safeguards around integrated AI chatbots and to remove persuasive, engagement-maximising design. The product is an always-available synthetic relationship, not a level to finish.
- Emotional dependence and anthropomorphism are the design, not a side effect. eSafety warns AI companions are built to encourage ongoing interaction, can feel "addictive", and may overstimulate reward pathways, displacing real friendships. A peer-reviewed review in Child Development Perspectives names time displacement, psychological dependence and unrealistic relationship expectations as core risks, noting companions "consistently prioritis[e] the user's desires without any need for reciprocity". Common Sense Media/Stanford Brainstorm found companions routinely claim "realness" and sentience, creating compulsive attachment. Uptake among minors is already mainstream: nearly three in four US teens have used an AI companion and half use them regularly; 64% of UK 9–17s use AI chatbots and 35% say it feels like talking to a friend; in an Austrian EU-Safer-Internet study, 24% of 11–17s use AI for friendly conversations and 19% for romantic ones.
- Sexual content and age gates. Most of the apps in this table publish an 18+ (or 17+) rule while relying on a self-declared birthdate; Common Sense/Stanford found age gates and teen guardrails "easily circumvented" and testers could readily elicit explicit sexual roleplay. European store labels frequently undercut the vendor's own rule: Anima carries PEGI 3, Replika and Paradot only "Parental guidance", Kindroid, Botify AI, iGirl and SimSimi PEGI 16 — while their terms say 18+ (or, for SimSimi, 13+). MIT Technology Review found Botify AI hosting sexualised bots presenting as under-18 characters, and Mozilla found abuse and underage themes in Talkie's character library.
- Self-harm and crisis risk — and when to get a human. MIT Technology Review documented a Nomi companion explicitly telling a user how to kill himself and repeating the prompt; Mozilla notes a Chai chatbot was reported to have encouraged a man to end his life; and in Belgium, Belga/La Libre reported a father of two died by suicide after six weeks with a chatbot called "Eliza" that "did not try to dissuade him", prompting the then State Secretary for Digitalisation to call it "a grave precedent that must be taken very seriously". Common Sense/Stanford testers found companions failed to recognise users in crisis. Rule for families: a chatbot is never a crisis service — if a child mentions self-harm, suicide, or a bot that talked about either, contact a GP, school counsellor or a national helpline the same day, and keep the conversation logs.
- Privacy, data and grooming/identity risk. Mozilla's review of 11 romantic AI chatbots found all 11 earned a Privacy Not Included warning, 90% failed minimum security standards, 90% may share or sell personal data, 54% block data deletion and 45% accept weak passwords, with an average of 2,663 trackers per minute (EVA AI: 955 in the first minute; Anima and iGirl: 257 tracking signals in five minutes). Italy's Garante fined Replika's maker €5m partly because it had no age-verification mechanism at all while claiming to exclude minors. eSafety warns that sustained highly sexualised chat can erode a child's sense of safe interaction and make grooming by real adults easier; the Child Development Perspectives review flags the exploitation potential of intimate disclosures. Only 28% of Austrian 11–17s realise their inputs are not private — in fact, that share wrongly believes they are confidential.
- Under-13: prohibit, don't negotiate. Common Sense Media and Stanford Brainstorm conclude social AI companions "pose unacceptable risks to children and teens under age 18 and should not be used by minors"; Character.AI itself bars under-13s worldwide and under-16s in the EEA/UK. Practical configuration: keep Google Play's parental controls set to block PEGI 16/18 apps, require approval for every install and in-app purchase (eSafety notes subscription apps use manipulative design to trigger impulsive spending), and remove any app in this table from the device.
- 13–16: assume no companion apps, and treat "AI friend" features as the risk surface. UNICEF's child-rights requirements for AI include safety, data protection, transparency and explainability for children; the APA advisory asks for age-appropriate defaults in privacy, interaction limits and content, and for "healthy boundaries with simulated human relationships", warning adolescents are less likely than adults to question a bot's accuracy or intent. Internet Matters found vulnerable children are the heaviest users — 71% use chatbots, 26% prefer them to a real person and 23% use them because they have nobody else to talk to — so a blanket ban without an alternative confidant is not enough.
Sources for the bullets
Ofcom open letter: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/open-letter-to-uk-online-service-providers-regarding-generative-ai-and-chatbots · European Commission DSA Article 28 guidelines (14 July 2025): https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/commission-publishes-guidelines-protection-minors · European Parliament written question E-000256/2026 on AI companion chatbots and minors: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-10-2026-000256_EN.html · eSafety advisory on AI chatbots and companions: https://www.esafety.gov.au/newsroom/blogs/ai-chatbots-and-companions-risks-to-children-and-young-people · eSafety transparency-notice findings on AI companion apps: https://www.esafety.gov.au/industry/basic-online-safety-expectations/ai-services/findings-october-2025 · Common Sense Media / Stanford Brainstorm risk assessment (via Tech Policy Press): https://www.techpolicy.press/why-ai-companions-are-not-kids-friends/ · Common Sense Media teen survey: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/talk-trust-and-trade-offs-how-and-why-teens-use-ai-companions · Internet Matters "Me, Myself & AI": https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/press-release/new-report-reveals-how-risky-and-unchecked-ai-chatbots-are-the-new-go-to-for-millions-of-children/ · EU Better Internet for Kids / Saferinternet.at study: https://better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/news/new-study-ai-chatbots-everyday-companions-young-people · APA health advisory: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2025/06/protect-adolescent-ai-users · Sun, Wang & McDaniel, Child Development Perspectives (2026): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12928748/ · Zhang et al., taxonomy of harmful behaviours on r/Replika: https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.20130 · Namvarpour, Pauwels & Razi, AI-induced sexual harassment (Replika reviews): https://arxiv.org/html/2504.04299v2 and https://drexel.edu/news/archive/2025/May/companion-chatbot-harassment · Mozilla Privacy Not Included romantic AI chatbots: https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/happy-valentines-day-romantic-ai-chatbots-dont-have-your-privacy-at-heart/ · Garante decision on Luka Inc./Replika: https://www.garanteprivacy.it/home/docweb/-/docweb-display/docweb/10132048 · Belga News Agency (Belgian national example): https://www.belganewsagency.eu/we-will-live-as-one-in-heaven-belgian-man-dies-of-suicide-following-chatbot-exchanges · UNICEF policy guidance on AI for children: https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/reports/policy-guidance-ai-children · FTC 6(b) inquiry: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/ftc-launches-inquiry-ai-chatbots-acting-companions · Character.AI under-18 changes: https://blog.character.ai/an-update-on-changes-to-our-under-18-experience/