Methodology
How KidSafe Index Scores Risk
KidSafe Index is designed to help parents make sense of online risks affecting kids in a clearer, more practical way. Our scoring system is meant to provide context, highlight relative concern, and explain why some risks deserve more attention than others.
The Three Core Scores
Each threat is evaluated using three separate scores. Together, these help show how likely a risk is to appear, how serious it may be, and how likely a child is to fall for it.
Exposure Risk
How likely your child is to encounter the risk if they use the relevant app, video game, website, or online service.
Harm Severity
How serious the impact could be if the risk affects your child.
Child Susceptibility
How likely your child is to fall for, believe, trust, or be drawn into the risk.
What the Levels Mean
To make scores easier for parents to understand, KidSafe Index groups them into simple categories like Low, Moderate, and High. These categories are meant to provide a quick sense of concern, not just a raw number.
High
A High score usually means the risk is especially likely to be encountered, especially harmful if it happens, or especially easy for kids to fall for.
Moderate
A Moderate score means the risk is meaningful and worth attention, but may be less common, less severe, or harder for most kids to engage with directly.
Low
A Low score means the risk may still matter, but is less likely to be encountered, less severe, or less likely to directly fool or affect most children.
How We Think About Risk
Not all online risks are dangerous in the same way. Some are highly visible and easy to run into. Some are rare but severe. Others are not especially technical, but are socially persuasive and therefore easier for kids to trust or fall for. Exposure also depends on whether a child actually uses the relevant app, game, website, or online service where the risk appears.
Our scoring is designed to reflect those differences so parents can better understand not just what a risk is, but why it matters.
Important Note
These Scores Are a Guide, Not a Guarantee
KidSafe Index scores are meant to help parents understand relative concern and ask better questions. They are not meant to replace judgment, personal knowledge of your child, or the reality that online risk can vary from family to family.