Games are fun! According to the folks at Superbetter -- an app that uses games to fight anxiety and depression -- games can also help improve our mental health. Seems they have science on their side according to a number of studies . The app is free to download and use, and is targeted at everyone over the age of 13, particularly teens, young adults, and educators working with young people. The apps is designed to help people dealing with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and concussive symptoms build resilience to deal with their daily challenges. Level up, power up, and go on quests. Users get rewarded for doing things like drinking water, going or a walk, or giving yourself a hug. It sounds rather fun. What's their privacy like? Well, there are a few red flags for us, but not as many as other apps we reviewed.
What could happen if something goes wrong?
First reviewed April 20, 2022. Review updated, April 25, 2023
It seems in 2023 SuperBetter's app is "all new," at least according to their website. Their updated privacy policy does still raise some concerns for us. Now SuperBetter says they can use your personal information for marketing purposes, "In order to support the SuperBetter business and provide our users with relevant information regarding the Service and opportunities presented by partners, SuperBetter may use your personal information for marketing the Service."
SuperBetter also says they can collect information about your from other sources and combine that with information they collect on you. That's not uncommon these days. It also does concern us because are they buying data from data brokers to build a bigger profile on you? The way their privacy policy is worded, is seems that could be the case.
All in all, we have to say that SuperBetter's privacy practices feel like they've gotten a little worse since 2022. That's not great, especially for an app targeted at educators and used by young people. SuperBetter isn't bad, it's also not better, and probably a bit worse, in 2023.
Read our 2022 review:
Good news. Superbetter says they will never, ever sell you personal data. Yay! They do share data with third parties for research and advertising purposes, but it seems to be mostly anonymized data, which is generally ok. Although it's been found to be rather easy to de-anonymize some such data. All in all, it's probably OK to gamify your life with Superbetter without worrying too much about losing the privacy game...we hope.
One big thing to consider when using Superbetter is what you share publicly. Superbetter states in their privacy policy, "To protect your privacy, you agree that you will not submit any User Content that contains Personally Identifiable Information (like name, phone number, email address or web site URL) of you or of anyone else." This is a great reminder, anything you share publicly, even your health information, is fair game for anyone to use. One more reminder from Superbetter, things you share on the internet can live on forever. They say, "You should be aware that it is not technologically possible to remove each and every record of the information you have provided to SuperBetter from our servers."
What's the worst that could happen? Well, hopefully not too much. Yeah, you might see some ads targeting you for water bottles to help you drink more water because you use Superbetter. Our biggest worry is we couldn't confirm if Superbetter meets our Minimum Security Standards. We emailed them our privacy questions multiple times at the email listed in their privacy policy for privacy-related questions and didn't get any answers to our questions. So remember as Superbetter says themselves, "there is always some risk that an unauthorized third party may find a way around our security systems or that transmissions of your information over the Internet may be intercepted." Data leaks and hacks happen everyday on the internet folks. Be careful out there.
Tips to protect yourself
- Do not log in using third-party accounts
- Do not connect to any third party via the app, or at least make sure that a third party employs decent privacy practices
- Do not give consent for sharing of personal data for marketing and advertisement.
- Choose a strong password! You may use a password control tool like 1Password, KeePass etc
- Do not use social media plug-ins.
- Use your device privacy controls to limit access to your personal information via app (do not give access to your camera, microphone, images, location unless neccessary)
- Keep your app regularly updated
- Limit ad tracking via your device (e.g. on iPhone go to Privacy -> Advertising -> Limit ad tracking) and biggest ad networks (for Google, go to Google account and turn off ad personalization)
- Request your data be deleted once you stop using the app. Simply deleting an app from your device usually does not erase your personal data.
- When starting a sign-up, do not agree to tracking of your data if possible.
Can it snoop on me?
Camera
Device: N/A
App: Yes
Microphone
Device: N/A
App: No
Tracks location
Device: N/A
App: No
What can be used to sign up?
Yes
Phone
No
Third-party account
Yes
Google Login, Apple Login and Facebook Connect are available
What data does the company collect?
Personal
Location, name, address, date of birth, email.
Body related
Social
How does the company use this data?
How can you control your data?
What is the company’s known track record of protecting users’ data?
No known privacy or security incidents discovered in the last 3 years.
Child Privacy Information
Can this product be used offline?
User-friendly privacy information?
Links to privacy information
Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards?
Encryption
Strong password
Security updates
Manages vulnerabilities
Superbetter told us, "We have an internal system for managing security vulnerabilities. We do not offer bug bounties." We have to trust them on this.
Privacy policy
Dive Deeper
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Mental health apps have terrible privacy protections, report findsThe Verge
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The next great mental health app will look like Pokemon Go, according to a Silicon Valley psychologistBusiness Insider
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SuperBetter Game Aims to Decrease DepressionChicago Health
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Jane McGonigal's SuperBetter in Clinical TrialsBerkeley Center for New Media
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SuperBetter Website ReviewCommon Sense Media
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SuperBetter app reviewHealth Navigator
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The top 8 mental health appsMedical News Today
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Can we trust apps to solve our problems? SuperBetter – promises to improve overall conditions of healthMasters of Media
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Randomized Controlled Trial of SuperBetter, a Smartphone-Based/Internet-Based Self-Help Tool to Reduce Depressive SymptomsMary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers
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Reducing concussion symptoms among teenage youth: Evaluation of a mobile health appTaylor & Francis Online
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The efficacy of smartphone-based mental health interventions for depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsOfficial Journal of the World Psychiatric Association
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Can smartphone mental health interventions reduce symptoms of anxiety? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsJournal of Affective Disorders
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Insights from user reviews to improve mental health appsSage Journals
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