Zift Advisory
Wattpad is a story-sharing app, created for both writers and readers, to share stories and books from people across the globe. The Wattpad app is free to download, but does contain advertisements and in-app purchases, ranging in price from $0.99 to $59.99. Because this app has frequent mature themes, it is recommended for users 17 and older.
What is Wattpad - Read & Write Stories?
Wattpad is a story-sharing app, created for both writers and readers, to share and sample stories (and books) from people across the globe. In addition to discovering new writers, Wattpad users can connect with other readers and writers sharing similar interests, as well as access stories written by established, and bestselling, authors.
Wattpad is free to download and begin reading (or writing), but does contain advertisements and in-app purchases, ranging in price from $0.99 to $59.99.
In short, the Wattpad app is the mobile equivalent of the already established website, allowing users to access and even draft stories from mobile devices.
Wattpad users are able to access user-generated and submitted stories in the following genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Historical Fiction, Fan Fiction, Short Story, Spiritual, Classics, Science Fiction, Humor, Mystery/Thriller, Action/Adventure, Teen Fiction, ChickLit, Poetry, Vampire, Werewolf, General Fiction and Nonfiction. Wattpad covers the gamut of literary tastes, and has been a go-to app for free reading, as well as an outlet for creatives to hone their craft and receive feedback about their writing.
Wattpad users have profiles, which can be connected with existing Facebook accounts, in which they can choose to fill out a bio area (or skip altogether), depending upon how social they wish to be on the platform. Wattpad offers users the ability to save favorite stories to be read offline, which can later be synced among devices such as a laptop, tablet, Kindle or smartphone.
Is Wattpad - Read & Write Stories safe for my kids?
Parents should know, especially because of the popularity of the app with teens, that Wattpad requires that users be seventeen years or older to download and use. The age rating for the app is tricky, as the platform serves a lot of young adult literature and fan fiction, and is popular with teens. This app is not safe for kids.
Parents should be aware that Wattpad is available for free because it hosts a slew of ads, serving advertisements at the end of each book chapter or story read. Users, however, can opt to pay for a Premium Wattpad account for $5.99, which removes advertisements for an ad-free reading experience.
Mature content seems to be the biggest concern for parents with Wattpad, which will be dictated by whether or not parents choose to censor what their children read. Those who do monitor their children’s reading should know that underage users are easily able to stumble upon mature content, with themes not appropriate for many children.
While Wattpad’s user guidelines strictly prohibit writers from publishing stories containing pornography, self-harm and graphic depictions of violence, stories containing such content often slip through, though users have the ability to report writing that violates the community’s terms of use. And while writers are asked to classify their stories as either Mature or rated for Everyone, the classification system is completely voluntary.
For every negative story about Wattpad, there seem to be several positives, with reports of teens having a renewed interest in reading, English skills improving, burgeoning writers honing their craft, and even book deals coming out of publishing on the platform. Wattpad is definitely an app that doesn’t have a definitive yes or no, in terms of teen use, as every family approaches reading and writing content differently.
Wattpad users have the ability to post comments on stories, and often leave detailed feedback for writers, as well as connect with other community members with similar literary tastes -- this can pose issues for underage users, as feedback may be negative, or comments may contain profanity, which is why 17 is a good age for platform users.
App Screens
Recommended for You
9 Screen Time Rules Every Family Needs
Screen Time Strategies
Stop Guessing About Screen Time for Kids – Use This Chart
Screen Time Strategies