Yet, the story was not removed, and the author did little to address the backlash.Īnother concerning aspect of the game is that in many situations, users have to pay money to make morally correct decisions, yet reckless choices are free. One story regarding sexual consent raised uproar with users, who were concerned at the poor moral message of a young female character being “blind drunk” and not consenting to a sexual liaison with an older male character. And while there are more than 12 million creators, there is little content regulation, even when the Episode community expresses concern. On inspection, there are several issues with the app.įirst, storylines can be written by anyone, even those aged 13-17. Many of these glorify adultery and are potentially promoting reckless decision making, pettiness and unkind acts. What your child engages with onlineĮpisode features numerous storylines about sexual discrimination, underage sex and pregnancy. A number of parents have voiced concerns on Common Sense Media, a leading source of entertainment recommendations for families. While most storylines focus on romance and high school relationships, many have raised alarm bells in parents. Readers can choose from a list of responses to influence things such as a character’s appearance, dialogue and reaction to events.
The stories are divided into episodes and the user, or “reader”, can interact with storylines and even create their own. There’s an increasing number of games targeted at these age groups, of which many follow a “choose your story” format. Such apps are far-reaching, and parenting their use can be tricky.Īccording to a US report published this year, which surveyed 1,677 kids, 41% of tweens (aged 8-12) and 84% of teens (aged 13-18) owned a smartphone.
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One such app is Episode – Choose Your Story, a free game with more than 50 million downloads and five million weekly users.Įpisode is coming under scrutiny by parents and users, many as young as 10, for its inappropriate themes. STEFANY LUNA DE LINZY / Īs smartphone ownership surges, we’re seeing a drastic rise in the use of mobile apps, many of which are marketed towards impressionable young audiences. The catch is, there's more than 12 million creators - and the content isn't exactly well-regulated. The game's players are able to customise their own storyline, which can then be 'featured' and shared with other players.
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