Update 9:43am CT, Oct. 24: Alanna Nielsen, director of Amazon Kids, told the Daily Dot in a statement that “all content available on Amazon Kids and the Amazon Kids+ content service is reviewed by the Amazon Kids & Family team to ensure it meets our bar for quality and age-appropriateness, and is always ad free.”
“Parents or grown-ups can use Parent Dashboard to customize a child’s experience and share apps, videos, or other content found outside of Amazon Kids or Amazon Kids+, such as the game featured in this video, with a child profile on Fire tablets,” Nielsen continued. “If parents or grown-ups choose to share such content to their child’s profile, they may introduce content that is not designed for kids, including mature content or content with ads, into the Amazon Kids experience. Amazon Kids does not monitor or filter content that has been downloaded or allow-listed from outside of Amazon Kids that parents and guardians choose to share with their children.”
Original story: When TikTok user Sierra Street (@sierranstreet) handed her child an Amazon tablet, she expected it to be a safe space for her child to play and learn. But what she discovered left her, and viewers, completely shocked.
In a video that has received over 1.7 million views, Sierra holds up an Amazon tablet for the camera. The text overlay reads, “Just when I thought the Amazon kids tablet was a safer alternative…..” She then goes on to highlight a series of games available on the tablet which, at first glance, seem harmless but are actually inappropriate for children.
Sierra starts by showing her audience a simple game of Tic Tac Toe with the video’s text overlay that reads, “Cute little game where your kid has to use their brain to figure out the solution…right?” The computerized version of the game is innocent enough, but it’s the subsequent ones that raise eyebrows.
The second game Sierra shows on the Amazon tablet is titled, “What is he hiding?” A boy with glasses stands in front of a locker and as Sierra drags her finger back and forth, the inside of the locker is revealed to have a poster of a scantily clad woman hidden inside.
Another level of the game titled, “Get rid of the evidence,” shows a burglar holding a woman up at gunpoint at a cash register. The point of the level is to remove the security camera.
Yet another called “Find the Lover,” exposes a cheating husband’s lover concealed in a cabinet. And in a level titled “What is the wife hiding?” a swipe reveals pink, furry handcuffs under the bedcovers. Sierra’s emphatic commentary throughout the video underscores her disbelief: “Stuff like this throughout the entire game!”
In the caption, she reemphasizes how sickened she is by what she’s found, writing, “Completely shocked what I found on my childs @Amazon tablet. The people responsible for designing these games for kids are hiding disgusting content within them….just like the stuff you see in this video.”
She also warns others that, “This is a device designed for kids WITH parental controls. Imagine what your kids are seeing on unsupervised devices.”
@sierranstreet Completely shocked what I found on my childs @Amazon tablet. The people responsible for designing these games for kids are hiding disgusting content within them….just like the stuff you see in this video. This is a device designed for kids WITH parental controls. Imagine what your kids are seeing on unsupervised devices. #parentalcontrols #kidsgames #amazonkidsproducts #madmomma ♬ God We Need You Now – Struggle Jennings & Caitlynne Curtis
The comments section of Sierra’s video was flooded with concerned parents echoing her frustration.
“Unbelievable! We have this game and I had no idea!!” said one user.
“My younger siblings had Amazon tablets for a while, but there was no way to stop them from watching/playing stuff they weren’t supposed to,” shared another.
“I noticed this years ago with my kids tablets! They have not been on one since. It’s not worth it,” wrote someone else.
Others offered solutions, with one person suggesting, “I download what I deem appropriate and then turn the tablet on airplane mode and off WiFi while in use. This way I can monitor everything.”
Another said, “I have my children’s Amazon tablets set up to when they want to download a new app/game it has to be approved by me first.”
Sierra responded to this commenter, asking, “How do you do this? I have parental controls on but haven’t seen an option for this specifically.” They responded with instructions, telling Sierra and others that, “On the parent dashboard, click a child’s account settings, under additional content it’s the in-app purchasing and Store Access tab!”
One user boldly stated, “This is why I am homeschooling my future kids and they will be cooking and farming instead on in a screen.”
Many users in the comments also wanted to know what the game on the Amazon tablet was called.
In a follow-up video, Sierra identified the game as “Delete One Part.” Initially marketed for “users of all ages,” a subsequent Google search now lists the game as suitable for ages 17 and up. It’s possible that the game’s rating was changed in response to the backlash, or it may have been mislabeled from the beginning. Regardless, Sierra’s video serves as a stark reminder of the importance of parental oversight in the digital age.
The incident with Sierra’s Amazon kids tablet also highlights the broader issue of inappropriate content slipping through the cracks of app store vetting processes. While platforms like Amazon’s Appstore have guidelines and review processes in place, it’s clear that some problematic content can still make its way to unsuspecting users and by extension, their children.
Many parents trust platforms like Amazon and Apple to provide age-appropriate content for their children’s tablets, especially when games are marketed as suitable for “all ages.” However, as Sierra’s video demonstrates, this trust can sometimes be misplaced.
Several TikTok users thanked Sierra for her vigilance, with comments like, “Thank you for sharing! I would have never known,” and “This is so scary. Parents need to be aware.”
In an era where children have unprecedented exposure to all types of digital content, Sierra’s video underscores the importance of active parental involvement in monitoring what children see and play with. It’s a call to action for parents to not only rely on app store ratings but to also personally vet and monitor the games and apps their children use.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so too must the strategies parents employ to keep their children safe. Sierra’s video is a testament to the power of social media in raising awareness and holding tech companies like Amazon accountable, and is a reminder that in the age of technology, vigilance over your child’s tablets and other devices is imperative.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Sierra via TikTok comment and to Amazon via email for further information.