GroupMe – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

GroupMe

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

app2010

28%

WISE Score

4.7

App Store

Group texting that's basically the Wild West—no sheriff, no rules, just you and whatever chaos your kid's group chat brings.

GroupMe

app

Teen, 2010

28%

WISE Score

4.7

App Store

Group texting that's basically the Wild West—no sheriff, no rules, just you and whatever chaos your kid's group chat brings.

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Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

GroupMe is what you get when you strip away all the safety features from modern messaging apps and just let people text in groups. It's genuinely useful for coordinating sports teams, college clubs, or family trips—but for kids? It's a minefield.

The app has no content filtering, no parental controls, no encryption, and basically invites inappropriate GIFs and memes into every conversation. Multiple parent safety organizations have raised red flags, with Protect Young Eyes bluntly stating it 'feels like high school and above' because of the easy access to sexualized content.

If your high schooler needs it for a legitimate team or club and you trust their judgment, fine—but this isn't the app to hand to a 13-year-old and hope for the best. For younger teens, literally any other messaging platform (even Instagram DMs, which is saying something) has better safety features. This is a tool for older teens and adults who don't need training wheels.

Age Fit

This is really for high schoolers and up (15-16+), not middle schoolers. The lack of safety guardrails and ease of accessing inappropriate content makes it a poor choice for younger teens, despite the 13+ age gate. College students and adults use it extensively for legitimate group coordination.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

GroupMe is a group messaging app with minimal content moderation and easy access to inappropriate content through GIF search, memes, and web previews. Multiple parent reviews note concerns about sexualized content that isn't easily detected. The app itself doesn't model positive behaviors—it's a neutral communication tool that reflects whatever users bring to it, which in teen contexts often includes cyberbullying, peer pressure, and FOMO dynamics.

Imaginative

GroupMe is purely a messaging utility—it doesn't invite creative expression, building, or exploration beyond basic emoji and GIF sharing. It's functional communication, not a canvas for imagination. The app facilitates coordination and conversation but offers no tools for creative projects, storytelling, or original content creation.

Safe

Major safety red flags across multiple parent review sources. No end-to-end encryption, weak privacy policy, no meaningful parental controls, built-in web browser with unrestricted access, ability to hide messages, easy access to sexualized GIFs and memes, and potential for cyberbullying in group dynamics. Protect Young Eyes explicitly states there's 'too much access to sexualized content that is not easily detected' and recommends it for high school and above. Reddit privacy discussions call out the 'horrible privacy policy' and lack of encryption.

Enriching

GroupMe teaches basic digital communication and group coordination skills, which have some real-world value for organizing teams, clubs, or family events. However, it doesn't offer meaningful cognitive growth, skill-building beyond texting, or ethical development. The entertainment value is entirely dependent on who you're chatting with—the app itself brings nothing enriching to the table.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Legitimately useful for coordinating sports teams, club activities, and family logistics without needing everyone's phone number
Works across platforms and devices, including desktop, making it flexible for different tech setups
Can help older teens learn digital communication norms and group coordination skills they'll need in college and work
The ability to mute notifications and leave groups gives users some control over their experience

⚠

What to Watch For

Zero parental controls and no content filtering—kids can search and share any GIF, meme, or web link imaginable
No end-to-end encryption means messages aren't private, and the privacy policy is notably weak
Group chat dynamics can amplify cyberbullying, FOMO, and peer pressure in ways that are hard to monitor
Built-in web browser and ability to hide messages make it easy for kids to access content parents can't see
Protect Young Eyes explicitly warns about 'too much access to sexualized content that is not easily detected'

Conversation Starters

"What groups are you in on GroupMe? Who's in them and what do you usually talk about?"
"Have you ever felt pressured to respond immediately or felt left out when you weren't checking the app?"
"What would you do if someone in your group chat shared something inappropriate or mean about another person?"
"How do you decide what's okay to share in a group versus what should stay private in a one-on-one conversation?"

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