Is It Worth Paying For Children’s Apps On Mobile Devices?

The next time you consider downloading a free app instead of paying for it, think about the material you are offering your children and the effects it can have on their development. Many parents download applications almost uncontrollably on tablets or smartphones so that their children are entertained without thinking about the consequences that this can have.

Parents do not usually pay for educational applications on mobile phones and do not think about the quality that they are offering their children according to which applications. They prefer to download many for free and discard which ones are worse or better and without giving importance to the ads that all free applications have in order to exist. But is it worth paying for children’s apps on mobile devices?

What educational apps need to be good

For an educational application to be good, it is necessary to take into account its quality. It is very important to think about whether this application really has benefits for the children, depending on their abilities and also on the evolutionary age at which the application is directed. But for it to be adequate it will be important that it be healthy technology. You must meet some requirements: 

• That the developers are excellent and renowned (they are not usually free)
• That developers are specialists in education
• That there is good graphic and sound resolution
• That the opinions of the users are good and have good references
• That is not a demo
• Have an age-appropriate design and are intuitive
• That it is translated into your child’s mother tongue

For an application to be of good quality, it will need the company behind it to have a sustainable business model and to be able to generate more applications. This can only be achieved if there is income (paying for the applications that they already have for sale). Banning ads and in-app purchases is important to app quality, something free apps must add in order to survive.

Screen quality can make a difference

All the time in front of the screen is not the same and this is very important to remember and take into account. Healthy technology can teach children new skills and give parents peace of mind knowing that their children are being exposed to the high quality of good educational material. Although equally, children will need constant supervision.

‘The irruption of new technologies forces us to educate children in a different way’

-Howard Gardner-

Applications that offer a service to adults, for example, can be free since they have different objectives and can generate income through your credit card, such as applications in which they pass you to other screens to make purchases … This type of Apps are dangerous because children do not have sufficient criteria to know if that is right or not.

There are applications for children that are like traditional toys and books, paid for and used to stimulate, educate and entertain the little ones in the house. Once again, parents choose to pay for high-quality toys and books when they go to the store, as the cheaper versions have proven to be of poor quality and can even be dangerous for the health of the little ones. Why not do the same with applications for mobile devices?

Therefore, it is important to think about all this the next time you want to download an educational application on your phone or tablet for your child. It is necessary to prioritize the quality of the material and the effect it can have on the development of your children, in the same way that you would when buying a good book, a toy or a good meal for your home.