As Christian parents and grandparents, our hearts yearn to protect our children while equipping them to navigate an increasingly complex digital world. But I need to share something with you that caught me off guard when I first learned about it: children and teens are using “vault apps” or “secret apps” that disguise themselves as everyday utilities to hide content from us.
When I discovered this trend, I felt that familiar mix of concern and determination that comes with modern parenting. Let me walk you through what I’ve learned.
What Are Vault Apps?
Imagine picking up your child’s phone and seeing what looks like a perfectly normal calculator app. You might even test it—2+2 equals 4, just as it should. But here’s what shocked me: when your child enters a specific passcode and presses certain buttons, that innocent calculator transforms into a hidden vault storing photos, videos, messages, and other content.
Why Are Our Kids Using These Apps?
Beyond the heartbreaking reality of inappropriate content, these apps allow our children to hide cyberbullying, access dangerous websites, conceal excessive social media use, and completely bypass the protections we’ve lovingly put in place. It just breaks my heart, and I bet it does yours, too!
Warning Signs
Does your child have two or three calculator apps? Why would anyone need multiple calculators?
Do they quickly turn off their device or angle the screen away when you walk into the room?
Are they hesitant to hand you their phone or show you certain apps?
Does their calculator app request permissions for contacts, photos, or location? A real calculator never needs those.
Taking Action: Check Your Child’s Device
Here’s what you can do regularly: Visit the App Store on your child’s phone and search for terms like “vault app,” “hide photos,” or “secret app.” If any show “OPEN” instead of “GET,” they’re already installed. Also, check app permissions, because if a calculator is asking for access to personal data, something’s wrong.
The Solution I Trust: Troomi Phone
Troomi Phone—a solution designed specifically for families like ours who want to give our children connection without compromise. Here are a few outstanding features about Troomi:
No app store access, which means our kids can’t download Vault apps or other deceptive tools
Parent-controlled features that you approve before your child can use them
Safe communication limited to contacts I’ve approved
No social media, protecting them from platforms designed to addict adults, let alone children
GPS tracking so you always know you child is safe
What I love most is that Troomi grows with your child. As they mature and earn trust, you can gradually add appropriate features. Instead of constantly battling over hidden apps, you start from a foundation of safety.
Building Trust Through Love
While Troomi gives us technological peace of mind, I know that our greatest tool is still open, loving conversation. Talk with your children about vault apps not as a “gotcha” moment, but as an opportunity to discuss wisdom, integrity, and guarding their hearts.
Remind them often: boundaries aren’t about control—they’re about love. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts above all else, and sometimes that means Mom and Dad help keep watch.
In this digital age, we’re called to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves, protecting our precious children while teaching them to make godly choices in an ungodly world. You can access the Troomi discount on our website at RaisingChristianKids.com under Recommended Resources.
—Lee Ann Mancini is the author of Raising Kids to Follow Christ: Instilling a Lifelong Trust in God, founder of Raising Christian Kids, adjunct professor at South Florida Bible College & Theological Seminary, and executive producer of the animated series Sea Kids on Right Now Media, Pure Flix, Answers.tv, Minno, and Yippee. Lee Ann is the mother of two adult children and lives with her husband in South Florida, where she passionately pursues her calling to help parents raise lifelong Christ-followers.
