Safety & Design
Engagement-maximizing design
Features that give a child a reason or a prompt to come back to an app, such as notifications, streaks, rewards for time spent or daily personalized content.
- Parents
- Educators and school leaders
- Policymakers and staff
What parents should know
Some apps are built to keep kids coming back, not just to be useful when they need them. Look for prompts, streaks, rewards and daily surprises, and ask whether the app would still be worth opening without them.
On this page
What is engagement-maximizing design?
Engagement-maximizing design is any feature whose job is to increase, sustain or extend how much someone uses a product. Some features prompt a child from outside the app, like a notification. Others give a child a reason to return, like a streak that breaks if they skip a day or something new waiting each time they open the app.
- Notifications and reminders that pull a child back into the app
- Streaks, badges or points that reward daily use or time spent
- Daily personalized content, such as a new message or character waiting for the child
- Autoplay, endless feeds and other designs with no natural stopping point
Why does engagement-maximizing design matter for kids?
Children are still developing the self-control to stop using something that is designed to be hard to put down. Features that reward returning can turn a useful tool into a habit, and a friendly AI that is waiting with something new each day can feel like a relationship to keep up.
Children’s design codes such as Maryland’s Kids Code and the UK Children’s Code ask companies to assess features like these and to put children’s interests ahead of engagement.
How it shows up in practice
- A learning app sends a child a notification every evening saying their streak is about to end.
- An AI app greets a child each day with a new note written just for them, giving them a reason to open it again.
- A game rewards a child with points for every extra minute played.
How HeyOtto helps
HeyOtto is built to be useful when a child needs it, not to keep them coming back. Otto never starts a conversation; it only responds when a child does.
- Kids are reminded they’re talking with AI and are encouraged to take breaks.
- Parents can set Quiet Hours and limit how long each session lasts.
- The Marketplace has no comment threads and doesn’t show follower counts to kids.
For families
Try HeyOttoFAQs
Is engagement-maximizing design always bad?
Not always. A reminder a parent asks for, or a weekly summary sent to a parent, can be helpful. The concern is features aimed at the child whose main purpose is to bring them back more often or keep them on longer.
How can I spot engagement-maximizing design in a kids’ AI app?
Check whether the app sends your child notifications, keeps streaks or points, or has something new waiting every day. Then ask whether your child would still open it only when they need it.
Sources
Last reviewed October 28, 2026. This entry is reviewed twice a year.