App + Game Reviews

Among Us

Cyber Expert Reviewer:

Yasmin London

Former Police Officer

Reviewed on Dec 22, 2020

Among us is a ‘whodunit’ type game where a team of players work together to complete tasks on board a ship while trying to avoid being killed by an imposter among them. This game can be played privately with friends, or online with strangers. An imposter is selected at the beginning of each game and is tasked with secretly killing and sabotaging members of the team. While playing the game, you can open a chat feature to discuss with your teammates who you think the imposter may be and who you are going to vote for. Parents can be offered some reassurance to know that the chat has a censored option which filters out inappropriate language, but unfortunately this censor can be turned off as easily as it can be turned on. This is where the censorship in the game ends. Among Us gives us no option to block the online gaming component which means children can easily enter the online mode and find themselves communicating with strangers. This chat area contains language that can be likened to 'locker room talk', so parents should be mindful if they are sensitive to their kids being exposed to swearing.

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Rapid Expert Review

App Store Rating

Ages 18+

ySafe Recommendation

Ages 11+

Known Risks

Sexting & Hook-ups

Privacy & Security

Adult Content

1.5

Cyberbullying

Deception

Violence

Predators

Gambling

Costs

2.5

Screen-time

What parents need to know

Cannot turn off Online mode

This game give players a few options when it comes to game play. They can select the ‘local’ option to play with real life friends. They can do this by joining a friends’ game or creating their own game and inviting these friends with a special code. Players can alternatively select the ‘online’ option, this online option allows players to join any game with anyone, anywhere in the world. With games ranging from 4-10 players, your child could quite literally be playing with 9 complete strangers. Unfortunately the online component of this app cannot be turned off as there are no parental features at all within the app. It is important for you to talk with your children about keeping their personal information private and that it is safest to play with real life friends only.

Censored Chat

While the online chat feature can be censored to filter out inappropriate language it is not password protected and children can easily turn the censor off themselves with a click of a button

Sit with the family

If you choose to allow your child to play this game, it is safest to have them play in communal areas of the house. This will help curb any temptation your child may have to take part in the online feature of the game and having them close to you will allow you to play an active role in your child's gaming.

In-app purchases

While this app is free to download and free to play it is worth noting that the game encourages in-app purchases. Among Us displays ads after every game and also offers upgrades of skins, pets and hats for a fee. There is even a button which can restore in-app purchases, fortunately this doesn’t override the settings in your device. To help stop your child from spending money in this app, turn off in-app purchases in your childs’ device setting and password protect your iTunes account. To make this app safer we recommend parents pay a small fee to upgrade to the ad-free version for their children.

Graphic references

Yes, this app is cartoon like but that doesn’t stop the game from referencing violence and showing cartoon gore. Players can be killed by being stabbed in the back by a knife. It is common to see words such as kill, dead, murdered and bodies. The game also provides players with their ever changing kill stats. It would be a good idea for parents to play around with the game themselves before deciding whether it's okay for their child to participate.

Links to Discord, Twitter and Facebook

This game is ever growing in popularity and like many popular games it has external communities and fan pages. There is an icon on the home page which when clicked has links to Discord, Twitter and Facebook. If your child does not have these apps downloaded onto their device the links will prompt them to do this. It would be helpful to check out the reviews for these apps to get a better understanding of what they are all about and whether they are suitable for your child to use.

To kick or not to kick?

While Among Us is unmoderated, it does allow players to self monitor games and kick players out who may be behaving in an inappropriate manner. Players can click on the boot icon while in the chat feature and then choose either kick or ban. Unfortunately, with freedom of choice and lack of moderation players are left to decide what behavior they deem to be inappropriate. This freedom can cause issues in teams as opinions on what defines appropriate behavior will differ from person to person. This booting/kicking feature can also be used in the ‘local’ setting which can see children booting out their real-life friends as a form of exclusion and bullying.

Screen time limits

This game is set up in such a way that you can find yourself playing game and game. Players can begin a new game as soon as they have completed or failed the last one. The use of a parental control tool or setting screen time limits within your childs’ device can help curb the screen time issues that this game presents.

What users need to know

You can kick and ban people

Among Us lets us kick or ban people we no longer want to play with. If someone is behaving in an inappropriate way, being rude or trolling, you can band together with other members of your team to kick or ban this player. The boot icon in the chat feature will give you this option. It is important for you to remember that this feature is here to keep you safe and happy. If you do feel the need to kick or ban someone it would be a good idea to chat with mum or dad about what has happened for you to need to do this. Some people may use this feature as a way of excluding friends from games, this isn’t kind and can really hurt someone’s feelings. If you see this happening or if it happens to you take a screen shot of the communication you have found to be upsetting and then go and get some help from a trusted grown up.

Be careful what you share

The chat feature of this game can put us in contact with all kinds of people. It is important to remember that if you haven’t met someone before in real life then they are not a real life friend and therefore we need to protect ourselves. Unfortunately, on games like this there may be people pretending to be someone that they are not. We need to remember that sharing even the smallest details about ourselves can be unsafe. Make sure you never share any of your personal information with anyone on this game.

Am I spending too much time on this app?

Your parents have probably talked to you about how much screen time you’re allowed, but you need to remember that it is also your responsibility to stay on top of the amount of time you are spending on your device. You can cut down on your screen time by taking lots of regular breaks and doing something different like spending time with your family and friends. Stop and have a think; how is my mind feeling? How is my body feeling? If you find yourself feeling tense or stressed take a deep breath, don’t start a new game just yet, go find something else to do like chat with a friend and come back to it later.

Sneaky pricey upgrades

This app is free for you to download and free for you to play. The game is very clever and attempts to get you to spend money on things like skins, pets and hats. It is important to remember that these items cost real-life money and you can play the game just as well without these sneaky upgrades. These upgrades are just the games clever way of trying to get money out of you.

Don’t be tricked by the ads

Ads will pop up throughout game play and after every completed or failed game. It is important not to click on these ads as they can divert you to external sites which will try to entice you to spend real life money. Kids have gotten themselves into all sorts of trouble with their parents by racking up huge bills this way.

How tos

How to turn off in-app purchases

Apple

Open the Settings app.
Tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Switch the Content & Privacy Restrictions slider to on/green, if it isn't already.
Select iTunes & App Store Purchases.
Select in-App Purchases.
Tap Don't Allow to turn off in-app purchase.

Android

1. Open your Apps list and tap on the Play Store icon to open it.

2. Press the Menu button in the top-left corner of the Play Store, then scroll down and tap Settings.

3. Find and press require authentication for purchases to choose how long to wait before asking for your password again.

4. Finally, press the option to require authentication for all purchases through Google Play on this device. Now, you'll need to enter your password for every app or in-app purchase.