How we pick the schools, camps and apps we write about, how we check them, and how we make money.
The Four Checks Every App Gets
Before an app goes on our list, a parent tries it with a real child and we check four things:
- Account: who can sign up, the minimum age, and whether a parent controls the account.
- Contact with strangers: whether strangers can message a child inside the app. Public galleries and comments are named too.
- Ads: ads and upsells shown to kids.
- Data: what the app collects, and whether it uses kids’ content to train its AI, from its privacy policy.
How We Test and Verify
- Claims & Research: We read the studies rather than the press release, and we say when evidence shows an association rather than a cause.
- Hands-on Testing: For apps, we put them in front of a real child. If a product claims a guardrail, we try to break it.
- Schools, Camps & Dates: Tuition, deadlines and open-house dates come from each school’s or program’s own site. We re-check The Fetch dates every month, and each list shows when it was last checked.
- Honesty: When something isn’t knowable from the outside, we say so.
What We Won't Cover
- Apps where strangers can privately message a child under 13. Public features, like a shared gallery or comments, are allowed but flagged. Separate apps such as Discord aren’t counted.
- Products built on violence or horror fantasy.
- Apps built mainly on pay-to-win or gambling-style rewards. Milder streaks and reward loops, like Duolingo’s, are allowed but flagged.
- Apps sold as learning for children under four. The research doesn’t support app-based learning at that age, whatever the store listing says. Tools for speech or developmental needs, used with a parent or therapist, are the exception.
How We Make Money
- No Paid Rankings: Nobody pays to be covered, recommended, or ranked. Our editorial lists cannot be bought.
- New & Notable placements: New apps can pay a standard fee to appear in a separate block labeled New & Notable or Apps to Watch, with a small Sponsored tag. These blocks sit inside our comparison posts but apart from our own picks.
- Sponsored Content: Sponsored profile hubs, sidebar boxes and featured event listings are paid, clearly labeled as sponsored, and sit outside our ranked guides. They buy visibility only.
- Custom Research: We sell market analysis about what parents are searching for, never placement in our content.
- Review Units: Companies send us free products to review. That gets them considered, never a favorable verdict, and we disclose it in the piece.
When We're Wrong
Prices change and programs close. Two parents at the same school can see it very differently. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us. Report an error, send us your product or suggest a topic →
Common Questions
No. Nobody pays to be covered, recommended or ranked. Paid placements do exist, but they are labeled New & Notable, Apps to Watch or Sponsored, and they sit apart from our own picks.
Yes. Every app is tried with a real child before we list it. We also read its privacy policy and parent reviews.
The Fetch dates are re-checked every month, and we re-check app prices and age rules at least every six months.
Use the Tell Us About It form. We check every report and correct the page if we got it wrong.
Looking for a sponsored profile or event listing? That’s on Work With Us. Sending us your product for review is free. It doesn’t get you a listing, but it gets you considered.
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