Approve every app your kid downloads
Look Twice | Thursday, October 22, 2026
Good morning.
Today's 2-minute fix: approve every app your kid downloads
A watchdog group set up test phones for a 13-year-old boy. The Tech Transparency Project found he could download dozens of "nudify" apps. These apps can strip the clothes off people in photos. Parental controls cut the number on Apple from 61 apps to 24. They did not stop it. And neither Apple nor Google suggested parental controls during setup.
Do this today, from your own iPhone:
Go to Settings > Family > your child's name > Apps & Websites. Tap Restrictions > Ask to Buy. Turn on Require Purchase Approval. These are the iOS 27 menus. Apple's steps are here.
Check the apps already on the phone. In Apps & Websites, tap an app you don't know, then tap Block App and confirm. It isn't deleted, just dimmed.
When a request comes in, look the app up before you tap Approve.
Android: open the Family Link app, pick your child, then tap Controls > Google Play. Choose how to filter or restrict access. Google's steps are here.
House rule: no app store gift cards without a talk first. In the test, the teen account used a gift card to buy a subscription inside an app it already had. Neither Apple nor Google alerted the parent.
Going around now
Crypto scams, aimed at both ends of the family.
California's attorney general warned on Monday. Scammers target older adults. They also target Gen Z on Twitch, TikTok and Instagram. Americans lost $20.9 billion to internet-based scams in 2025. Crypto scams caused $11.4 billion of that. No real company or government agency will force you to pay in crypto. Never use a crypto ATM.
Already lost money? Expect a second call from fake "recovery experts". Don't pay anyone who promises to get it back for a fee.
Quick alerts
Fake "sextortion help" websites. The FTC is suing a company behind sites like BlackmailHelpline.com. It alleges the company charged customers thousands of dollars and failed to deliver. If someone threatens your teen, don't pay. Free help for minors: the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1-800-843-5678.
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Forward this to Mom and Dad
Mom, Dad, if anyone asks you to pay in crypto or use a crypto ATM, it's a scam. No real company or agency makes you pay that way. Call me first, OK?
One question
Does your kid need your OK to download apps? Yes, no, or not sure?
Just hit reply. We read every one.
How was today's issue?
From the Look Twice editors. Every fact links to its source. Got a scam we should cover? Just reply.
