Safety by design.
Haangout is made for kids to be spontaneous, but never unsupervised. Here is how we keep the experience safe, private, and parent-first — in the order that matters most.
Our biggest promises
The three things every parent should know before their kid opens the app.
You approve every connection
Kids can only interact with people inside the trusted circle or groups you create or approve. There is no open directory, no random friend requests, and no public profiles. When Liam wants to add a new friend, the request lands in your account first.
No personal contact info is shared
Phone numbers, emails, and home addresses are never exposed to other kids or families. Communication stays inside the app.
COPPA-compliant, by default
We follow the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. That means real, verifiable parental consent before we collect a child's information, no targeted advertising to kids, ever, and a delete request that actually deletes the data — the kid's profile, their posts, their history — not just hides it.
The basics, done right
The everyday guardrails that make the app feel calm instead of chaotic.
Private groups, public groups with guardrails
Private groups are invite-only and hidden from search. Public neighborhood or activity groups are visible by name only; a child can only join after a parent approves, and posts inside are still member-only.
Parents see what's happening
Every bat signal, hangout request, and group join sends a lightweight notification to the parent account. When Joey pings his soccer group, you know.
Smart, not spooky notifications
We only notify you about the things that matter: a new connection request, a bat signal your kid sent, or a hangout plan that needs a ride. No endless pings, no dark patterns.
What sets us apart
The choices most kid apps get wrong. We made them on purpose.
In-app chat with boundaries
Chat is tied to a specific hangout or an approved group. There are no one-on-one DMs with strangers, and parents can see the threads their kid is part of.
No background location tracking
We do not track your kid's location when the app is closed. When Maya posts "Volleyball at Douglass Park, 3–5pm," that place and time is what she chose to share with her circle — not something the phone is quietly broadcasting. Home addresses and background whereabouts are never shown.
Caregivers and co-parents, built in
You can add a co-parent, grandparent, or babysitter as a caregiver with their own login. They see the same hangouts and reports you do, so nobody has to share a password.
Proof, not just promises
What actually happens behind the scenes when something goes wrong.
What happens when you report a family
The reported family is paused the moment you file the report — they can't message, join hangouts, or see your kid while we look at it. For serious concerns (threats, sexual content, contact with a minor outside the circle), we escalate to our trust team and, when appropriate, to law enforcement.
Safety reports reviewed within 4 hours
Safety reports get their own queue. A real human on our trust team reviews every one within 4 hours during daytime U.S. hours, and by the next morning otherwise. That's separate from — and faster than — the one-business-day turnaround on the general feedback form.
We invite people to try to break in
We run regular security testing and welcome vulnerability reports from independent researchers. If you find something, email security@haangoutapp.com — we respond, we fix, and we credit you.
A few things we don't do
- We don't track your kid's location in the background when the app isn't open.
- We don't allow strangers to message, follow, or request your kid.
- We don't share kid data with advertisers or third-party data brokers.
- We don't show your kid's home address, phone number, or email to anyone in the app.
Are you COPPA compliant?
Yes. Before we collect any information from a child under 13, we get verifiable parental consent from you. We don't run targeted ads at kids. And when you ask us to delete your child's data, we actually delete it — profile, posts, hangout history, chat — not archive it.
What happens after I report someone?
The reported family is paused immediately — they can't reach your kid while the report is open. Our trust team reviews every safety report within 4 hours during U.S. daytime hours, and by the next morning otherwise. Serious concerns get escalated to our head of trust and, when appropriate, law enforcement.
Who can see my kid?
Only the families and groups you explicitly connect with. Your kid's profile, availability, and posts are hidden from the public internet and from unapproved users. Public groups show only the group name to nearby members; your child does not appear in a public list.
What about location? Isn't posting an exact place risky?
Broadcasts show the specific place and time your kid chose to post — because "meet at the park at 3" is the whole point of the app. But it only goes to the trusted circle you approved. We never expose home addresses, and the phone is not quietly tracking your kid in the background.
What happens when my kid wants to connect?
Connection requests and group invites route to the parent account first. A kid cannot add a new family, join a private group, or be added to a chat without your approval.
How do I report a concern?
You can block a family, remove a group, or report a message directly from the app. Safety reports go to a dedicated queue with the same-day turnaround above. General product feedback can go through the feedback form on the homepage.
Want the technical details?
Read our Privacy Policy for the full picture on data collection, retention, and subprocessors.