Why don’t you talk about faith/religion?

Why do you say “partners” instead of “husbands” and “wives”?

Why don’t you talk more about non-traditional families (LGBTQ, blended families, single parent, living with extended relatives, etc.)?

Why is the app so conservative?

Why is the app so liberal?

Why don’t you comment on Black Lives Matter?

Answer

Our apps are shown in 166 countries in the world with a wide variety of cultural norms and standards. We are usually the top parenting app in both the most conservative countries in the world and the most progressive countries. Our role isn’t to address other social issues, but rather to help parents and children of ALL backgrounds understand long-term well-being. Due to this, we try to avoid any “enemy tribe signals.”

What is an enemy tribe signal?

People subconsciously identify with a one or more tribes. For example, they might identify strongly with their religious group and their political party. When they view content, they are subconsciously looking for signs that the material is from an enemy tribe. If they see this enemy tribe signal, then they quickly reject most or all of the teachings and are often determined to believe the opposite. This is not only detrimental to the parent, but also to the children.

These are examples of enemy tribe signals in America.

Progressives: religious references, patriotism, “All Lives Matter”, positive references to a Republican politician

Conservatives: government programs, socialism, LGBTQ, “Black Lives Matter”, positive reference to a Democrat politician

Each country has different enemy tribe signals and we try to avoid as many as we can. For example, in some countries, an enemy tribe signal is a husband and wife kissing in public.

Yes, but my cause is just, so you should endorse it anyway

If we were to send a signal that we are part of your tribe, the children in the “enemy tribe” get left behind. Although we don’t want to offend anyone, we would rather risk offending a, hopefully understanding, adult if it means helping a much larger pool of children.

Our current approach

Although we are always open to new ideas, we are currently trying to walk the fine line of eliminating most or all “enemy tribe signals” so that we can help as many children as possible. It isn’t a perfect solution but we hope you can understand the dilemma.