App · Low risk
Is Scratch safe for your child?
Age guide
8+
We advise Scratch from age 8 and up. Overall risk 3/10 (low risk).
- 5-8
- Children in this age group can begin exploring Scratch by dragging and dropping blocks to animate characters or create simple interactive stories, fostering early computational thinking skills.
- 9-12
- This age range can create more complex games and animations, participating in the Scratch community by sharing projects, remixing others' work, and engaging in moderated comments and forums.
- 13-15
- Teenagers can delve into advanced programming concepts, designing intricate projects, collaborating with peers, and utilizing the platform to develop foundational skills for future coding endeavors.
- 16+
- Older teens might use Scratch to teach younger siblings, prototype ideas quickly, or participate in educational settings, leveraging its visual programming interface for various creative and learning purposes.
Scratch is a free visual programming language and online community developed by the MIT Media Lab. It allows users to create interactive stories, games, and animations by dragging and dropping code blocks.
- Age guide
- 8+
- Overall risk
- 3/10
- Violence
- 1/10
- Toxic behaviour
- 2/10
- Stranger contact
- 3/10
- Addiction risk
- 6/10
- Language
- 1/10
- Influence
- 7/10
What parents should know
Scratch is a free, block-based visual programming language and online community designed to teach children coding fundamentals. It offers a creative environment for making games and animations, with moderation in place for comments and shared projects to maintain a generally safe space.
What to do about Scratch
Free with a Parentwise account. The age-by-age verdict needs your child's age, which is why it lives behind the account.
- The age-by-age verdict
What we advise for under 8, 8-12 and 13+ - our age guide for Scratch is 8+, and the answer changes with your child's age. - The one setting to change tonight
The exact Scratch setting that cuts the most risk, with the steps to find it. - What to say
Word-for-word openers for talking about Scratch without a row. - Red flags to watch for
The signals in Scratch that mean it is time to step in.
Scratch age rating and parents guide: common questions
What age rating is Scratch?
Parentwise puts Scratch at 8+. We advise Scratch from age 8 and up. Overall risk 3/10 (low risk). Violence scores 1/10, language 1/10, stranger contact 3/10 and addiction risk 6/10.
Can a 10 year old use Scratch?
Yes, 10 is at or above the age we advise for Scratch (8+). This age range can create more complex games and animations, participating in the Scratch community by sharing projects, remixing others' work, and engaging in moderated comments and forums.
Can a 12 year old use Scratch?
Yes, 12 is at or above the age we advise for Scratch (8+). This age range can create more complex games and animations, participating in the Scratch community by sharing projects, remixing others' work, and engaging in moderated comments and forums.
Can a 13 year old use Scratch?
Yes, 13 is at or above the age we advise for Scratch (8+). Teenagers can delve into advanced programming concepts, designing intricate projects, collaborating with peers, and utilizing the platform to develop foundational skills for future coding endeavors.
Is Scratch appropriate for kids?
Scratch is a free, block-based visual programming language and online community designed to teach children coding fundamentals. Parentwise rates Scratch overall as low risk (3/10), with stranger contact at 3/10 and addiction risk at 6/10.
Is Scratch family friendly?
Scratch is one of the lower-risk titles we rate. It offers a creative environment for making games and animations, with moderation in place for comments and shared projects to maintain a generally safe space.
Scratch parents guide: what should a parent know first?
Scratch is a free, block-based visual programming language and online community designed to teach children coding fundamentals. The parts that most often catch parents out are stranger contact (3/10) and how hard it pulls for more time (6/10).
Is Scratch safe for kids?
We advise Scratch from age 8 and up. Overall risk 3/10 (low risk). It offers a creative environment for making games and animations, with moderation in place for comments and shared projects to maintain a generally safe space.
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Release and popularity data comes in part from RAWG, TVMaze (CC BY-SA) and Wikidata (CC0). Safety guidance is written by Parentwise.