Parent's Guide

At Grom, we have implemented a multitude of safety features in order to protect our child-users from privacy concerns and exploitation. Our safety features ensure you and your child can rest assured while exploring the Grom platform.

Our 5 Layer Safety System:

1. Age Verification
We are KidSAFE Certified and follow COPPA guidelines, ensuring every user on the app is age-verified through a video submission process called Parent Authorization. Parents will record a short video with their child authorizing them to use the platform.

2. Content Filtering
Every user-submitted post undergoes a comprehensive content filtering process utilizing a third-party AI system, followed by a final review from real-life monitors prior to the publication of video posts.
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3. Staff Moderation
Our well trained, background-checked, and vigilant team monitor all aspects of the Grom app 365 days a year to ensure a safe and positive environment, diligently addressing any negative comments, posts, or conversations.
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4. User Reporting
Parents may receive comprehensive weekly reports, presented in a structured format, outlining their child's activity on the app, including detailed breakdowns of each post, comment, and new connections made.
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5. Parent Monitoring
Our parent experience empowers parents with real-time monitoring and control over their child's GROM account, providing visibility into every comment and new friend connection made.

Click here for a video tutorial!

At Grom, safety is our #1 priority. Our Parent Authorization ensures that all children on the platform are verified as a child with parent permission before they can begin utilizing all of our social features. Parent Authorization is key to giving your child the full Grom Social experience, with Parent Authorization, your child gains access to all the interactive features such as being able to

• Post to the public feed (by default they can only save drafts.)
• Follow and be followed by other Grom users.
• Interact with posts on the feed (like, comment, share.)
• Have monitored direct messages with other Grom users.

Parent Authorization is fast and simple. Your child will be prompted to get authorization multiple times throughout the onboarding process and any time they try to use a feature that requires authorization. Your child might ask you to download the app, or, if you are signing them up for an account, you can authorize their account right after linking your profiles.

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First, you need to link your parent account to your child's account. This ensures that all children on the platform are verified with a parent before they can begin utilizing all of our social features. There are a few ways that you can link your accounts together:

• Add a kid from the parent monitoring portal with the blue plus button on the home page.
• Your child may be prompted to link your accounts together when they try to log out for the first time.

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Log into your account and select the child you are authorizing. Tap the Authorize Account button on any of the parent monitoring tabs. 

Tap the next button on the welcome screen.

You will now enter the Parent Authorization screen. 

• Your camera view will be on the top of the screen with the prompt below

• You may be asked for camera access at this point if you haven’t already.

• Record a video with both you and your child in view, and recite the prompt. 
• After you finish, press the record button again to stop. Your video will then replay to make sure you are satisfied with it.
• You can either Submit the Video or press the Back button to re-record.

You will then get the verification screen that prompts you to check your email in the next 24 hours. You will receive an email that either approves or denies your child’s authorization. If you are denied, you will be given a reason and have to re-submit a video.

Your child will receive a prompt in the app when their authorization was approved or denied. 

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Our parent monitoring experience gives you full insider access to your child’s social experience on GROM.

With parent monitoring you can:

• View your child’s account and all of their posts
• See the comments they publish on other user’s posts.
• Check their direct messaging conversations
• View who they follow and who follows them
• Edit your child’s personal information
• Set screen time limits and customize which days have limits.

With our parent monitoring features you can rest assured that you know what content your child is consuming and how they interact with others on the internet.

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There are two ways to set time limits for your child’s access to GROM. You can either:

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1. Use our Screen Time feature in the Parents experience:

• Open Grom and sign into your parent account.
• Select the child you want to set a screen time limit for.
• Tap Info and Settings under the Profile tab.
• Select Time Limit
• There will be 3 options for you to choose from; none, daily time limit, or per day time limit.‍
• None: sets no time limit for the child, they can use the app as much as they want.
• Daily Time Limit: sets a standard time limit that your child can meet each day. (ex. if you choose 1 hour, your child will get one hour of app usage, every day.)
• Per-Day Time Limit: The most custom option, lets you choose a time limit for each day of the week. (ex. if you would like your child to have unlimited time on the weekends, you can set a time limit for each weekday.) 
• Tap Done or the Back Arrow.

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2. Use Apple or Android’s Built in Screen Time functionality.

• Apple Screen Time Tutorial

• Android Screen Time Tutorial

In Parent Monitoring, you can remotely control access to some social features, such as push notifications (more controls coming soon!)

Why should I enable push notifications?

• You should enable your child's push notifications so they can receive basic in-app functionality, such as letting them know that their video was successfully uploaded to our servers. We strive to be as un-intrusive as possible with your child's attention.
• Your child has control over which notifications they receive. If they don't want to be notified for messages, comments, or other social interactions, they can individually disable them from Settings -> Notifications and Alerts.

How to control push notifications:

Click here for a video tutorial!

• Open Grom and sign into your parent account.
• Select the child you want to set a screen time limit for.
• Tap Info and Settings under the Profile tab.
• Select Additional Features
• From there you can control your child's push notification settings.
  • Note: your child will have to have given GROM permission to send push notifications from iOS for them to come through. ("GROM would like to send you push notifications") 
  • You can make sure this is enabled in your phone's Settings

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