Hooked App: Is it Safe for Students?

Hooked on Hooked: The Reading App Parents Need to Know About

• Hooked stories may include mature content like romance, violence, horror, and substance use that may not be appropriate for younger readers
• Your child may encounter content they weren’t expecting because the app’s wide variety of stories can include intense or adult themes
• Hooked encourages subscriptions and in-app purchases that could lead to unexpected charges without proper account settings
• The app is designed to keep users reading through cliffhangers and serialized stories, which may increase screen time
• Parents should understand what their child is reading online and have conversations about digital content, privacy, and healthy media habits

Why Kids Can't Stop Reading on Hooked

• Hooked is a digital storytelling app where users read serialized stories in a mobile-friendly format
• Stories are presented as text message conversations, chat threads, web novels, comics, or audiobooks, creating an immersive reading experience
• Users tap through conversations or chapters rather than reading traditional book pages
• The app offers a variety of genres, including romance, horror, mystery, thriller, fantasy, science fiction, and drama
• Many stories are free to start, but premium content requires a paid subscription or in-app purchases
• Users can create an account to save their reading progress and personalize their experience
• New episodes and stories are added regularly, encouraging users to return to the app
• The app is designed primarily for entertainment, with many stories written to keep readers engaged through cliffhangers and serialized chapters

The App Filling Kids' Screens With Mature Stories

• Many stories contain mature themes, including romance, violence, horror, strong language, and substance use that may not be appropriate for younger readers
• Students may encounter explicit or emotionally intense content even when browsing popular or recommended stories
• The app encourages subscriptions and in-app purchases, which can lead to unexpected charges if purchase settings aren't restricted
• Serialized stories and cliffhangers are designed to keep users reading, which may contribute to excessive screen time
• The app's personalized recommendations can continue suggesting similar mature content based on what a user reads

Helping Your Child Make Safer Choices on Hooked

• Before giving your child access to apps like the Hooked app, download them and use the app first to determine for yourself if it is safe for your family to use
• If your middle school student wants to write original stories, encourage them to write them down in a journal or in a file on your family’s computer - when they get older they can add these to their portfolio of accomplishments
• This will encourage your kids to cultivate their passion for writing while keeping them safe
• High school students can build a personal website that becomes their online portfolio of accomplishments. Once their website is built, they can publish their best writing there. Work with your high school student and review their work before they publish anything on their website

Conclusion

The Hooked app enables users to read stories in chat form, like a series of text messages or as a series of video clips. Since the majority of the stories feature sex, violence, and drug use, this app is inappropriate for students. Additionally, the Hooked app can have a major impact on your child's digital footprint , especially if they use Facebook to sign up for the app.

Due to the mature and explicit themes throughout the majority of the stories on the Hooked app, SmartSocial does not recommend students use it. If your child has the app, ask them to delete it and explain why the app is dangerous.