The store’s own family section is a reasonable starting point and a poor finishing one. Ratings there measure downloads far more reliably than they measure quality.

What to check before installing

Look for a stated age band, a visible privacy policy, no third-party advertising, and whether purchases exist at all. An app with none of those four is usually built around one of them.

Teacher-approved badges are genuinely useful because the review is human and the criteria are published. They are also rarer than the section makes them look.

Install alongside the child for ten minutes before handing it over. Most of the bad ones announce themselves within the first screen.