You’ve probably heard about Pokémon Go on the news or from your child. Mine has asked me 10 times today if he can go outside and catch some Pokémon. News reports of car crashes, muggings, stabbings, and even the accidental discovery of a dead body have parents rightly concerned about their child’s safety while playing this game. I will give you a brief overview of the game, how to follow up on what your child is doing on the app, some of the potential risks in playing the game, and tips for creating a fun and safe experience for your child.

Overview

Pokémon Go (+9 y/o or older) is free and available on the Apple App Store and Google Play store. The game does have in-app purchases however. Parents should turn off in-app purchases in your child’s device settings so they are unable to spend real money on additional Poké balls or upgrades to your gear (this is how Niantic is making mountains of cash off this game).

Pokémon Go is a location-based (GPS), augmented reality mobile game that requires you to venture out into the real world with a smartphone. As you walk around in the real world with the game open on your phone, you can discover characters in the game that can be captured and used in other parts of the game. The game rewards users for walking certain distances in different locations, so many players are going to want to play the game in a bunch of different places. This includes parks, near water, and in city centers where there’s a lot of artwork or churches nearby. The more locations you encounter and interact with, the further your character advances in the game.

Parent concerns

“This game is using my GPS signal. Are they [Google or the app developer] tracking me or my child?”

Well, yes and no. Yes, your location has to be turned on to play, because you have to know where to catch the stupid little things. That means Google has full access to a user’s account and data since the user l ...