Gas

The premise is promising, with the app claiming the poll-based experience was created to provide "a place that makes us feel better about ourselves" -- yet other outcomes could be possible. Gas is extremely easy to use. The design and functionality are simple, and the polls feature a single drawn image, such as a heart and four boxes with names in them. The questions are generally lighthearted, such as "Next international fashion icon" -- although some aren't, such as a question that asks who would be the most likely to punch a president. The questions are easy to click through quickly, which should help hold kids' interest -- until they finish all 12 and have to wait an hour before accessing more, unless they invite a friend to join the app. Kids are locked out for an hour after answering a round of polls, which noticeably delays the pace -- something some kids may find frustrating. And while the prize -- a flame emoji -- isn't a high-stakes reward, it can be a nice feel-good payoff for being picked in a poll.

In areas where Gas is available, kids who use it enter their age, then select their grade level and school from pre-populated lists. They can also friend users through their contact list or by entering the other users' username. Kids have to allow the app to pinpoint their location and access their contacts to start using it. Even though the developers say they don't retain any of the geographic information, some parents and kids may not be thrilled about having to grant this access. And while the app's closed-off nature is one of its biggest selling points -- there isn't any messaging functionality, and, with the basic version, kids won't see a breakdown of poll votes -- the identity aspect isn't foolproof. Anyone could potentially sign up as if they were a student at a local school, even if they aren't. All they need to do is check off a grade and pick one of the schools from the list, and they could hypothetically start sending kids friend requests. And the consumer-based aspects of the game feel out of place, given its simplicity. Kids earn coins for answering poll questions (one coin per poll), which they can spend on things like inserting their name in their crush's poll. Those items aren't cheap. Adding your name, for instance, costs 300 coins; saving up for that can take some time. Kids can also shell out for "God mode," a subscription that provides hints, such as the first letter of someone who voted for you, some full-name reveals, extra coins and crush alerts that notify you when someone adds themselves to your polls. (To be fair, though, the developers state that every poll vote being revealed would make comfortably sending compliments more challenging, and they hope the app can be enjoyed without people spending anything.) But the extra items included in the God mode are indicative of what appears to be a fairly frequent focus on romance. To purchase the mode, for example, kids click on a "SEE WHO LIKES YOU" button. Attraction feels like a somewhat odd thing to be stressing in an app with safety measures that seem to have been designed to facilitate younger users participating. Generally, though, the questions are innocuous enough -- and the contact with other users is so minimal -- that Gas can probably provide at least some entertainment, if kids can deal with the pauses they'll run into each hour.