Social platform · High risk
Is Wink safe for your child?
Age guide
13+
We advise Wink from age 13 and up. Overall risk 7/10 (high risk).
- 5-8
- Wink is a social app designed for finding friends and is not appropriate for children in this age group due to its social networking features.
- 9-12
- Children under 13 are not permitted on Wink; the app's focus on connecting with strangers online poses significant risks for this age group.
- 13-15
- Teenagers in this age range might use Wink to find new friends or connect with existing ones, but strict privacy settings and ongoing parental discussion about online interactions are crucial.
- 16+
- Older teens can use Wink to expand their social circle, but they should be fully aware of the risks associated with meeting strangers online and maintain a high level of caution regarding personal information and offline meetups.
Wink is a social app designed to help users find new friends by connecting with people who have similar interests. It allows users to add friends from other platforms like Snapchat and Instagram.
- Age guide
- 13+
- Overall risk
- 7/10
- Violence
- 5/10
- Toxic behaviour
- 7/10
- Stranger contact
- 8/10
- Addiction risk
- 7/10
- Language
- 6/10
- Influence
- 6/10
What parents should know
Wink is a social networking app primarily used by teenagers to find new friends, often by exchanging other social media handles. Its core function of connecting with strangers requires significant parental oversight and ongoing conversations about online safety and privacy.
What to do about Wink
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 Wink is 13+, and the answer changes with your child's age. - The one setting to change tonight
The exact Wink setting that cuts the most risk, with the steps to find it. - What to say
Word-for-word openers for talking about Wink without a row. - Red flags to watch for
The signals in Wink that mean it is time to step in.
Wink age rating and parents guide: common questions
What age rating is Wink?
Parentwise puts Wink at 13+. We advise Wink from age 13 and up. Overall risk 7/10 (high risk). Violence scores 5/10, language 6/10, stranger contact 8/10 and addiction risk 7/10.
Can a 10 year old use Wink?
Not by default: we advise Wink from 13+, so at 10 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Children under 13 are not permitted on Wink; the app's focus on connecting with strangers online poses significant risks for this age group.
Can a 12 year old use Wink?
Not by default: we advise Wink from 13+, so at 12 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Children under 13 are not permitted on Wink; the app's focus on connecting with strangers online poses significant risks for this age group.
Can a 13 year old use Wink?
Yes, 13 is at or above the age we advise for Wink (13+). Teenagers in this age range might use Wink to find new friends or connect with existing ones, but strict privacy settings and ongoing parental discussion about online interactions are crucial.
Is Wink appropriate for kids?
Wink is a social networking app primarily used by teenagers to find new friends, often by exchanging other social media handles. Parentwise rates Wink overall as high risk (7/10), with stranger contact at 8/10 and addiction risk at 7/10.
Is Wink family friendly?
Wink is one of the higher-risk titles we rate, so treat it as supervised rather than family viewing. Its core function of connecting with strangers requires significant parental oversight and ongoing conversations about online safety and privacy.
Wink parents guide: what should a parent know first?
Wink is a social networking app primarily used by teenagers to find new friends, often by exchanging other social media handles. The parts that most often catch parents out are stranger contact (8/10) and how hard it pulls for more time (7/10).
Is Wink safe for kids?
We advise Wink from age 13 and up. Overall risk 7/10 (high risk). Its core function of connecting with strangers requires significant parental oversight and ongoing conversations about online safety and privacy.
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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.