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The Randonautica app markets itself as “the world’s first quantumly generated Choose Your Own Adventure reality game.” It might sound enticing to students, but safety is a major concern with this app. The app prompts adventurers to set out with a goal in mind. Then it sends them to a randomly generated set of nearby coordinates. These random locations often include private property. Some teenage “Randonauts” were recently led to a beach, where they discovered a crime scene.  Read our app guide: https://smartsocial.com/randonautica-app/ What is the Randonautica app? The app uses a phone’s location and quantum random number generators  to take users on “adventures” It’s free to download and there are no age requirements Users can “manifest” the type of experience they want to encounter by typing in an intention or what they hope to find The app then generates a set of random GPS coordinates for the user to travel to “Randonauts” then post their discoveries to TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and other social media networks How does it work? Users get 10 free locations, then must pay for “points” to continue Other in-app purchases are available, including an upgrade that removes water locations like lakes and rivers Where is the Randonautica app available? Google Play: E (everyone) Apple’s App Store: 4+ Developer’s Website: Randonautica (Based in USA, owned by Randonauts, LLC) Safety Guidelines Why should parents care? Since the Randonautica app encourages users to go to random locations, there is no way to know if those locations are safe The perimeter can be changed in Settings to allow the app to generate locations that are several miles away from a user Although the Randonautica app regularly directs users to private property, the company recommends no trespassing This can be confusing to tweens and teens It might entice students to break the rules if it seems like they’re being dared to go on an adventure The company behind the app is also making a YouTube reality show where Randonauts are portrayed as brave and daring What can parents do? Urge students not to use this app Teach your student it is illegal to go onto private property Discuss the other dangers of traveling to random locations If your student really wants to go on a “make your own” adventure with friends – suggest some safe games or books If older teens insist on using the app, make sure they read the Randonautica’s 10 safety tips, which include avoiding dangerous areas and never “Randonauting” alone Learn from Smart Social's resources:  Join our free newsletter for parents and educators: https://smartsocial.com/newsletter/ Register for a free online Parent Night to learn the hidden safety features on popular apps: https://smartsocial.com/social-media-webinar/ Become a Smart Social VIP (Very Informed Parents) Member and unlock 30+ workshops (learn online safety and how to Shine Online™): https://learn.smartsocial.com/ Download the free Smart Social app: https://smartsocial.com/app Learn the top 100 popular teen apps: https://smartsocial.com/app-guide-parents-teachers/ View the top parental control software: https://smartsocial.com/parental-control-software/ Learn the latest Teen Slang, Emojis a Hashtags: https://smartsocial.com/teen-slang-emojis-hashtags-list/ Get ideas for offline activities for your students: https://smartsocial.com/offline-activities-reduce-screentime/ Get Educational Online Activity ideas for your students: https://smartsocial.com/offline-activities-reduce-screentime/ Subscribe to our podcast on: Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1269872857 Google Podcasts: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Ikvg45xcfqi3cz5vxy7vsryf3uq Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SafeSmartSocial/videos