The Wordle game has quickly risen to popularity among teens and young adults. While its concept is harmless enough, there are some things that parents should be aware of.
The Wordle game is a daily word puzzle created in the UK where users have to guess a 5-letter word in six guesses or less. When a player guesses the correct letter in the correct place, the square turns green. If they guess the correct letter in the wrong place, it turns yellow. Players can share their results on social media to show how many tries it took for them to get the word.
The charm is in its simplicity. Users can only play once per day, which forces moderation. For those who are susceptible to endless scrolling or binge-playing such games, Wordle is a good choice to promote digital wellbeing.
The Wordle game is web-based and does not require a download. It has minimal settings: hard mode, dark mode and colour blind mode. Without any ads, it doesn’t encourage players to focus on anything other than the game.
While the original Wordle is currently ad-free and web-based, there are many imitators that are not. These copycats are regularly removed from app stores but more continue popping up. While they look and work like Wordle, they tend to collect data and information in a way that the original does not.
Wordle saves users’ game progress through cookies. Once cookies are deleted, all progress is lost. However, many of the game’s clones collect and retain data especially for targeted ads. If a child plays one of the copycats, they run the risk of sharing unnecessary information or clicking ads for third-party content. These apps don’t have parental controls in place to limit what kinds of ads they might see.
More adult spinoffs of the Wordle game also exist, which includes vocabulary unsuitable for those under 18.
To ensure your child is enjoying Wordle and staying safe, check they are using the original web-based game.
February 2022
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