BitLife is an amazing life-simulation app that will help you make your storyline. You can make text-based choices to control an avatar from birth to grave. This concept might seem pretty innocent at first, but BitLife contains details for every part of life. You will be exposed to several adult choices like involving yourself in substance abuse or one-night stands. These options often make parents wonder, “Is BitLife for kids,” and rightfully so. I mean, I don’t want my kid thinking about one-night stands or being drunk at a party.
Recently, I’ve seen many parents say that BitLife can help them train their kids to stay away from bad choices. The progress bar within the game clearly shows how bad choices can impact one’s life. This real-time presentation of choice and its impact to educate kids that they should stay away from substances and focus on being sensible. Let’s discuss further whether you should be concerned about your kid playing the BitLife simulator.
What is BitLife?
You might have heard of BitLife from an influencer or a content creator. It is a life-simulation application that will help you control your avatar’s every decision. From birth to death, from study path to career, you will be able to control what your avatar does and how he chooses to spend his time. The impact of your choices will then be reflected in later parts of the avatar’s life, and you’ll be able to judge for yourself if your choices led to a meaningful or worthless life.
This concept is pretty new, and even though there are many simulation apps in the market, BitLife was the first text-based game. The in-depth impact of your choices on the avatar’s life is what captivates most users. Moreover, this simulation game will also help you figure out how you will respond to certain unexpected circumstances. The unique presentation of different circumstances and almost realistic consequences will have anyone hooked on this application.
It is a great way to kill time, but this app is only intended for adults. I know the icon seems pretty innocent, but I don’t think a kid should have to decide if he wants to spend a one-night stand with a random girl from the club. These scenarios will only create curiosity in your kid’s mind about adult content. So, consider keeping them away from BitLife until they are at least 17. It would also help if you could educate your child about the scenarios presented within BitLife.
What do kids like about BitLife?
Kids are often curious about mature content, especially pre-teens or early teenagers. They won’t be interested in hearing any advice you give them now. Instead, they will focus on exploring everything themselves. This statement also remains true when you’re talking about BitLife. This app allows kids to explore real-life scenarios that adults can face. It doesn’t only fuel their curiosity but also urges them to put themselves in similarly “risky” situations. Here are a few points that kids like the most about BitLife.
Endless possibilities
BitLife can be incredibly complex, and there is no such thing as one right path in this game. Even the most insignificant choices by the players will have a huge impact on the end game. Kids love to see a unique story unravel each time they make different choices within the given scenarios.
Milestone sharing
Unlike other simulation games, your child will be able to share milestones with their friends. These milestones often create a sense of competitiveness among children. They would like to spend more time in the game. Kids hate to miss out, and milestone sharing helps them boast their performance within the application.
Access to mature concepts
Every teenager is curious about mature content, even if they act like a saint in front of you. This app allows children to access all the risky scenarios and situations that fuel their curiosity. Everyone wants to be an adult when they are a teenager. So, the fact that BitLife is for a mature audience and contains mature content is reason enough for kids to like this application.
Hype
This might be the biggest contributor to why so many kids like BitLife. Many creators milk this application for content because of its endless possibilities. When your kid sees their favorite creator play BitLife all day, they will want to join in on the fun, too. Sadly, these creators don’t care much about the age of their audiences and only want to get that sweet ad revenue.
These are some of the main reasons why your child indulges themselves more and more with the BitLife application. A lot of kids use this app daily, which can be especially alarming for parents as they can’t control the content their children are exposed to. So, reconsider letting your kid download any app they wish from the Play Store. So, make sure that you’re going through all the details and the reviews associated with such applications.
Why should parents know about BitLife?
Parents often just look at the app icon and deem it worthy for their children. However, that is not the case with BitLife. The text-based scenarios within the application are targeted toward mature users. Some scenarios will only get your child curious about the wrong things. So, as a parent, you need first to educate yourself about BitLife. Otherwise, leaving your child unattended on this application will ruin their brain with unholy ideas. The following points on why parents should know BitLife will further expand your understanding.
- Knowing BitLife or similar simulation apps will help you safeguard your kid’s innocence.
- You’ll be able to keep them away from sexual content.
- You’ll be able to limit their curiosity about alcohol and drugs.
- You’ll be able to stop them from thinking about criminal behavior.
- You’ll be able to stop them from glorifying a life of violence.
Even if you’re dealing with a kid who is 17, keeping an eye on their activities within BitLife is necessary. Otherwise, you will just be exposing your child to outrageous scenarios.
Is BitLife for kids? What age range is BitLife for?
No, BitLife is not for kids. The app clearly mentions the age range of 17 and above. If your preteens or early teenagers are nagging you about BitLife, don’t give in to the pressure. Instead, you need to stand firm and don’t let them near any such application. I know text-based scenarios don’t seem like much, but these are enough to spark new ideas in your kid’s mind. They will be more keen on replicating the things that they read within this application. However, the horror doesn’t just end here. You will also have to monitor your child’s social activities.
The milestone-sharing feature will expose your kid to the explicit milestones that were achieved by other users. So, your job doesn’t just stop restrictions on your child from playing BitLife. Instead, you need to protect them from all the suggestive content around BitLife that is present on social media.
What can parents do to protect their kids?
Knowing that you need to keep your child from BitLife is the easy part. However, learning how to keep your kid occupied in other activities can be extremely challenging. I mean, the allure of online games and the hype around BitLife will surely drag your kid’s attention toward this app. So, you’ll have to be equally as creative to guide your child away from this application. Here are some things that might help your child stay focused in real life and not in the BitLife simulator.
1. Encourage outdoor activities
Let your kids touch grass and explore the real world instead of being bound to their devices. Diverting their attention from their mobile devices is much easier when you can arrange fun activities with them outside. So, either arrange some play dates for your kid weekly or take them on a picnic trip. Hopefully, they won’t think about spending any more time on BitLife that way.
2. Educate your child
Another thing you can do to protect your child is to educate them. If you’re dealing with a kid who is 15 or 16, you can sit them down and have a serious talk about ethical gaming behavior. You need to make them realize that everything they do on their mobile device will influence their life much more than they think. From there, you can encourage them to remove all apps like BitLife from their device.
3. Use a prenatal control tool like FlashGet Kids
If you’re dealing with preteens, they won’t be as keen on listening to your advice. In these situations, you will have to use parental control tools to block their access to apps like BitLife. The screen time limits and the app blocker features within FlashGet Kids will keep your child away from BitLife. Moreover, you can dictate how much overall time your child will spend on their device. So, consider integrating FlashGet Kids to safeguard your child’s brain.
4. Start a project with your child
Kids are only interested in simulation games when their life seems boring to them. You can spice things up by giving them something to do in their spare time. Getting your child engaged in an art project will help them a great deal in the long run. Moreover, you can also teach your kids a lot by collaborating with them on a business project. Everything comes down to how much time you’re willing to spend on your kid for their better future.
All in all, these are some methods parents can use to protect their children. The digital world can be ruthless for a kid to navigate on their own. You’ll need to step up and be their guide until they are mature enough. Being careless about your kid’s online safety will expose them to mature content, violence, inappropriate scenarios, and even pedophiles. So, never ignore how your child spends time on their mobile phone.
Conclusion
To bring everything back into focus, BitLife is an amazing game that is designed for adults. It can be a fun game to pass the time, but it is not safe for kids. It is vital for parents to learn about BitLife. Personally, I find it better to restrict the download of new social or simulation apps on my kid’s phone.
If you’re confused regarding your child’s gaming activities as well, use features like “Forbid New Apps” from FlashGet Kids. This parental control tool won’t let your child download any new game without your approval. Moreover, you can always motor their activities live by using the “Screen Mirroring” tool within FlashGet Kids. Hopefully, you’ll be at ease regarding your child’s online safety after integrating third-party parietal control systems.
