We asked parents how easy they thought it would be for a child to pretend to be older in order to sign up to Google Hangouts, and whether they had to verify their phone number or email address. Based on these answers, Google Hangouts has received a neutral rating for its sign up process.

Here are some of the things parents said:

• “It was fairly easy but needed to have a [phone] number to validate which is good as you can't just put a random one in.” – Father of three
  
• “If the child has access to an adult phone with no supervision then there could be an issue, as a child would have to have access to an adult verified account to sign up.” – Father of 7 and 9 yr old girls
  

We asked parents how easy they thought it would be to find ways to report unsuitable content or behaviour, and how to block people from contacting you. Based on these answers, Google Hangouts has received a neutral rating for its reporting and blocking process.

Here are some of the things parents said:

• “I could easily find out how to block people but reporting inappropriate behaviour had to be searched for in the Help section.” – Mother of 13 and 16 yr old boys
  
• “You can't block people on Hangouts, I've tried several times in the past. You have to block them in G+ first.” – Mother of three
  

We also asked young people who reviewed Google Hangouts whether they knew how to report and block users:

• 58% said they know how to report on this site
  
• 65% said they know how to block someone on this site
  

Want to know more?

You can find out more information about reporting here.

You can find out more information about blocking here.

We asked parents how easy it was to change the settings so that your profile and account is private, and how easy it is to turn off location settings. Based on these answers, Google Hangouts has received a neutral rating for its privacy settings.

Here is what a parent said:

“You cannot change your privacy or location settings within Google Hangouts. You have to do that from your phone's settings.” – Mother of three

We also asked young people who reviewed Google Hangouts whether they knew how to change privacy and location settings:

• 68% said they know how to change their privacy settings on this site.
  
• 65% said they know how to change their location settings on this site.
  

Want to know more?

You can find out more information about privacy here.

You can find out more about how to change your privacy settings here. 

We asked parents how easy it was to find out whether Google Hangouts has rules or community standards, and how easy it would be for a young person to find information about keeping themselves safe on this platform. Based on these answers, Google Hangouts has received a neutral rating for its safety and support.

Here are some of the things parents said:

• “These should be highlighted upon registering.” – Mother of a 13 yr old girl
  
• “Could be more visible for users.” – Father of 14 and 18 yr olds
  

Want to know more?

You can find out more information about safety here.