What is Locket?

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A young software developer named Matt Moss missed his girlfriend, so he created an app for her to send random pictures to his iPhone screen throughout the day. It's a good, positive origin story. Next, he created a TikTok explainer video, launched it to the App Store in January 2022, and MILLIONS of downloads later, he has a positive app.

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How Does Locket Work?

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Locket Widget claims to be a safer version of Snapchat. And in many ways, they're correct. It's features are very simple, utilizing the widget feature on iPhones and Androids to send pictures or videos back and forth to friends directly to their home screen. Similar to the calendar app, which shows you today's date on the app without you needing to tap into it (that's what we mean by "widget feature").

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It's an app that allows instant, picture and video driven communication with friends.

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Although the app puts itself up against Snapchat, Locket Widget has almost none of Snapchat's risks. There's no public feed (less content risk), no public map (less predation risk), and it's limited to 20 friends (so it's mostly people you know well). Locket Widget leverages what teens love about Snapchat: instant, easy, unpolished, and fun. It’s like a tiny Instagram picture feed right on your screen – with no words. It's refreshing in a complicated, algorithm-fed digital world.

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Because of these attributes, some parents have allowed Locket in place of traditional social media. While there's no chat feature, users can attach text within an image or video, and those receiving images or videos can "reply" to the media sent to them. The reply can be just text, and will be tied to the image or video they are replying to.

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What Do Parents Need to Know About Locket?

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The terms of service state Locket has rights to all photos shared on the app and they can use the photos for any purpose, in any way they want. We haven't found any news proving Locket has abused this provision but it has concerned some parents.

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Locket asks for access to contacts, but claims they don’t keep them according to their privacy policy. A friend could send an inappropriate picture or video straight to your home screen but this same risks exists in text messages (unless your child has an iPhone and you've enabled Communication Safety settings).

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How to Make Locket Safer:

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Regardless of the app, three actions mitigate the risks we’ve shared. We teach these actions in our parent presentations:

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1. Require approval for all app downloads.
2. Follow the 7-Day Rule
3. Enable in-app controls and settings

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We explain each of them briefly below. If you’ve already set up approvals for downloads and have used the app, please skip to the In-App Controls & Settings.

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Require Approval for App Downloads

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You can control app stores by requiring permission for apps to be downloaded. This is ensures your child doesn’t have access to an app without your knowledge. Here are the steps (for Apple and Android users):

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For Apple Devices:

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To require permission to download an app, you’ll need to set up Screen Time and Family Sharing (Apple’s Parental Controls). We explain this process step-by-step in our Complete iOS Guide (click here).  

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Once Screen Time and Family Sharing are established, here’s how to require permission to download apps on an Apple device:

1. Go to your Settings app.
2. Select your Family.
3. Select the person you want to apply this setting to.
4. Scroll down to “Ask to Buy” and enable.

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For Android Devices:

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You’ll have to use Family Link (Android’s parental controls) to ensure you retain control over what apps are downloaded. We explain this process step-by-step in our Android Guide (click here).

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Once Family Link is established, here’s how to require permission to download apps on an Android device:

1. Go to the Family Link App
2. Select the person you want to apply this setting to.
3. Select “Google Play Store”
4. Select “Purchases & download approval” and set it to “All Content.”

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Follow the 7-Day Rule

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This is our tried-and-true method of determining whether a specific app is safe for your specific child.

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Before you let your child use it, download the app and use it for 7 days.

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Create an account with your child’s age and gender and use it for 7 days. Play through a few levels, review the ads, see if anyone can chat with you, and poke around like a curious child.

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After a week, ask yourself, “Do I want my child to experience what I did?”  Even if you decide to allow them to download the app, now you have a basis for curious conversations about the app when you check in.

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Enable In-App Controls & Settings

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There isn't much to control because of its minimalistic features. Whether an app has parental controls or not, we're big fans of using device-level controls, like Bark, to convey a culture of monitoring in your family. According to Bark's website, their software can:

• Block Locket Widget entirely, if needed.
• Manage when your child can use Locket Widget throughout the day.
• Receive an alert if your child tries to download Locket Widget.

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Bottom Line: Is Locket Safe for Kids?

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There’s no porn or predators, but there are privacy concerns. Overall, it’s not a very risky app, but based on our review, you can now make an informed decision!

What if I have more questions? How can I stay up to date?

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Two actions you can take!

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1. Subscribe to our tech trends newsletter, the PYE Download. About every 3 weeks, we’ll share what’s new, what the PYE team is up to, and a message from Chris.
2. Ask your questions in our private parent community called The Table! It’s not another Facebook group. No ads, no algorithms, no asterisks. Just honest, critical conversations and deep learning! For parents who want to “go slow” together. Become a member today!

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