Locket Widget is the iPhone app everyone is buzzing about in 2022 — but is it safe for kids to use? Online privacy is a concern for everyone these days. Between malicious apps, data breaches, hackers, and dangerous users, the internet can be a scary place. This is especially true when it comes to kids. Protecting yourself online is one thing, but keeping your kid safe can be an even greater challenge.
That brings us to Locket. Released at the beginning of 2022, the 'Locket Widget' app blew up on social media within days of its release. More specifically, Locket went viral on TikTok. Users discovered the app, quickly started making videos about it, and the '#locketwidget' hashtag on TikTok now has over 20 million views. With much of TikTok's user base made up of kids between 10 and 17 years old, there's a good chance your kid wants to use (or is already using) Locket themselves. But is that really a good idea?
Let's start with the basics. The premise of Locket is that it allows users to instantly send photos to each other's home screens. Users download the app, add the Locket widget to their iPhone, and can then send/receive pictures on their home screen from other Locket users. While that sounds pretty scary, there is a big asterisk to consider. Unlike other social media apps— which make kids' profiles accessible to millions of other people — Locket can only be used with up to five close friends or family members. The only way to add friends is by sending an invite message to their phone number. If someone doesn't have the phone number for another person, they can't invite/communicate with them on Locket. The whole idea of the app is to have a fun way to share photos with a small group of close friends, not random strangers on the internet. That alone makes Locket a lot safer than something like Twitter or Instagram.
Things Parents Should Know About Locket Widget
However, that's not to say Locket is perfect. In fact, there are a few safety issues that parents should absolutely be aware of. Locket's terms of service clearly state that users "must be 13 or older to create an account" and that users who are under 18 "may only use [Locket] with the prior consent of your parent or legal guardian." The only problem? Locket doesn't verify users' ages at any point in the setup process. Locket users are asked to enter their phone number, first name, last name... and that's it. After submitting those three pieces of information, anyone can start using Locket within seconds. There are also no parental controls to speak of with the Locket app. Unless parents are physically looking at their kid's phone, it's impossible to see the photos they're receiving, the photos they're sending, or who they're using the app with.
Another safety concern is how Locket handles users' pictures. Once again looking at Locket's terms of service, Locket says, "For all content you submit to the Services, you grant Locket and our affiliates a worldwide, royalty-free, sub-licensable, and transferable license to host, store, cache, use, display, reproduce, modify, adapt, edit, publish, analyze, transmit, and distribute that content." In short, all photos shared through Locket can be re-used however the company sees fit. That's really not good. Locket pitches and markets itself as a private communication tool between a handful of people, but in the background, it's storing all of these images and has the legal right to use them for marketing, advertising, licensing, and more.
As you can probably see at this point, there are pros and cons to letting kids use Locket. The fact that Locket requires a phone number to connect with someone, and limits interactions with up to five other users, makes it much more intimate than other social media apps. As long as a parent keeps a regular eye on photos their kid is sending/receiving, there's a lot less to worry about with Locket than some of its competitors. However, a lot of that goodwill is taken away with Locket's strict ownership of users' photos. Even if a kid is sending harmless pictures on Locket, the fact that the app has so much control over them is a big concern. It's not something that's necessarily putting kids in danger, but it is stripping away their digital privacy. If that's at all concerning to you, it may be worth keeping your kids away from Locket.
Source: App Store