Two New Tools
To protect your children
There’s a moment most parents know.
Your child appears, phone in hand, with that look. “Can I download this?”
And you’re standing there trying to recall whether you’ve heard anything about that app, whether the age rating means anything, whether you’re being overprotective or not protective enough. It’s a split-second decision with no good information to hand.
I’ve spent a long time thinking about that moment. And I’ve built two things to help you handle it better.
The Problem With App Store Ratings
Most parents assume app store age ratings are set by an independent body. They aren’t. They’re set by the developers themselves1. The company that profits when your child downloads the app is the same company that decided it was appropriate for them.
That is not a flaw in the system. That IS the system.
I spent eight years in Digital Forensics during my time with the RAF Police, reviewing criminal content. What I saw, I’m not going to repeat any of it here, I never do, but it’s the reason I started Cyber Safety Guy, and it’s the reason these two tools exist.
Tool One: The App Safety Checker
The App Safety Checker is now live at:
Type the name of any app, Roblox, Snapchat, TikTok, whatever your child is asking about, and you’ll instantly get the official age rating, the real-world risks that actually matter to families, and a direct link to my full deep-dive guide on that app.
A few things worth knowing about how it works:
It’s hybrid. The checker uses a combination of AI-assisted surfacing and my own manually reviewed entries. That means you’re not getting raw algorithm output. Every entry has been looked at, verified, and written in plain English by someone who actually knows what to look for.
It covers the things app stores don’t. Things like how easy it is for strangers to send your child direct messages. Whether location data is shared. What the community is actually like, as opposed to what the developer says it is.
And if the app isn’t there yet? You can request an audit with one click. That goes straight to my list, and I prioritise based on what families are actually asking about. If there’s an app on your child’s phone that you’re not sure about, tell me.
⚡Please don’t forget to react & restack if you appreciate my work. More engagement means more people might see it. ⚡
Tool Two: The CSG Threat Radar
Here’s something I hear a lot: “I want to stay informed, but I don’t know where to look, and I don’t have time to be searching the news every day.”
That’s exactly what the Threat Radar is for.
The CSG Threat Radar is a live intelligence feed that pulls stories from 11 confirmed sources2 and filters them automatically for child online safety relevance. BBC News, The Guardian, Sky News, Gov.uk, Europol, it’s all there, sorted and surfaced for you.
You don’t need to trawl the news wondering if something affects your family. If it’s relevant, the Radar will find it.
👉 guides.cybersafetyguy.com/csg_threat_radar.html
What Both Tools Have in Common
They’re completely free.
No sign-ups. No tracking. No paywalls. No data collected. Just plain-English advice and live intelligence you can trust.
I want to be really clear about that, because a lot of “safety” products in this space are anything but. They collect your data, push you towards premium tiers, and bury the useful information behind a subscription form. That’s not what this is. Of course, I would like you to subscribe, but the point is that these resources do not require it.
If You Find Them Useful
Please share this post with a fellow parent, a teacher, or a safeguarding lead at your child’s school. The more people who know these tools exist, the more children they can help protect.
And as always, every paid subscription to this newsletter goes directly to Childline. Not to me. To them.
As always, thank you for your support. Please share this across your social media, and if you do have any comments, questions, or concerns, then feel free to reach out to me, as I am always happy to spend some time helping to protect children online.
Remember that becoming a paid subscriber means supporting a charity that is very close to my heart and doing amazing things for people. Childline, I will donate all subscriptions collected every six months, as I don’t do any of this for financial gain.
If you or a child you know needs support:
Childline: 0800 1111 | childline.org.uk
Available 24/7, 365 days a year. Free, confidential, and here for every child.
Apple App Store Review Guidelines / Google Play Developer Policy developer.apple.com | play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy (accessed May 2026). Both platforms operate developer self-declaration systems for age ratings, subject to post-publication review. Independent verification is not a pre-requisite for listing.
CSG Threat Radar - confirmed source list guides.cybersafetyguy.com/csg_threat_radar.html (accessed May 2026). Sources as listed on the Threat Radar page: BBC News, The Guardian, Sky News, The Independent, The Register, Gov.uk DSIT, UK Safer Internet Centre, Childnet, Internet Matters, EU Digital Strategy, Europol.