Zift Advisory
The IRL app provides teens with a platform to schedule get togethers and outings in real life in an effort to encourage teens to use less tech. Rated for users 13 years of age and older this app is safe for teens and does not have any in-app advertisements or purchases.
What is IRL - Do More Together?
A social planning app for teens, the IRL (In Real Life) app helps teens bridge the digital world with that of the real world. Available for iOS devices only, IRL can be downloaded for free in the App Store. IRL is completely free to use, rated for users 13 years of age and older, and does not feature any in-app advertisements or purchases.
Positioning itself as an app to combat teen tech addiction, IRL aims to helps teens schedule get togethers and outings in real life, as a way of breaking away from tech. An additional positive aspect of the IRL app is that it prompts users to give each other compliments through the app, by posing clever questions and offering a choice of four IRL friends or contacts to select.
In simplest terms, the IRL app provides teens with a platform to send activity plans or ideas to friends, receive friend’s ideas for get togethers, or accept invitations sent to them. All of this in an effort to get kids off of their phones, away from screens and interacting with their peers face-to-face.
Is IRL - Do More Together safe for my kids?
Parents will appreciate the fact that IRL only connects users with others in their phone contacts,not with random strangers, ensuring that only their inner circle is included. The IRL app is safe for teens with adult supervision.
The downside to this is that IRL can seem spammy in their effort to recruit more users to the platform. Compliments and “nominations” are not just limited to users on the platform, in fact, this is IRL’s recruiting technique.
This tactic is designed to encourage users to send compliments to people in their contact lists, who then receive a text telling them that “Someone you know complimented you. See what they said!” The text is followed by a link, which will take that person through registering for the app before they can see the compliment.
Parents may want to talk to their teens about sending compliments to friends not on the platform before any frustrations or conflicts arise. There’s also the fact that the app has access to all of a user’s contacts, something parents should take into consideration before allowing their teen to register for the platform.
Some things parents and IRL users should be aware of are included in the IRL app’s terms and privacy policy. When users agree to the IRL app’s terms, they’re essentially agreeing that IRL is able to change those privacy terms at any time and without any notice. The terms state that it is the user’s responsibility to frequently check the terms page for any changes.
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