Smart Safety - Pregnancy and Baby Apps

With millions of parents relying on baby development trackers, Surfshark’s study reveals majority of pregnancy and baby apps share data with third parties for advertising or research purposes. This includes sensitive data such as photos, videos, medical records, or other health information.

Key insights:

• 80% of the most popular pregnancy and baby-tracking apps share user data with third parties. This includes highly sensitive data such as uploaded photos or videos, health information like medical records and symptoms, and even a list of other apps installed on your device.
• This data is then often used to fuel targeted advertising aimed at parents and, increasingly, to train the AI models built into some of the apps themselves.
• BabyCenter stands out as the most data-hungry app, collecting 16 different data types and sharing every single one with third parties. This level of data collection enables detailed profiling: BabyCenter gathers app interactions, in-app search history, health information, and user-generated content, alongside personal details such as names, email addresses, locations, and nine other data types.

"If you're tracking a healthy baby, expect that data to fuel advertising. But if your child has health issues and you're entering detailed medical information, you become an even more valuable target for highly personalized advertising – and potentially insurance companies. Some platforms now feed this data into AI training, and every piece builds a comprehensive profile tied to you and your family.

This creates serious risks beyond advertising. Children are an emotional topic – if data leaks, it's incredibly powerful for phishing attacks. Scammers with your child's name, birth date, health conditions, and other personal details can craft convincing scenarios that worried parents might fall for. The more information you provide, the easier you are to manipulate," says Tomas Stamulis, Chief Security Officer at Surfshark.

Tips from the expert:

• Ask questions about your baby as anonymously as possible.
• Research where your data goes and what happens to it.
• Consider paying for apps rather than using free ones – if the product is free, you're often the product.
• Be mindful of what you share.

For the complete research material behind this study, click here. 

ABOUT SURFSHARK

Surfshark is a cybersecurity company offering products including an audited VPN, certified antivirus, data leak warning system, private search engine, and a tool for generating an online identity. Recognized as a leading VPN by CNET and TechRadar, Surfshark has also been featured on the FT1000: Europe's Fastest-Growing Companies ranking. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Surfshark has offices in Lithuania and Poland. For information on Surfshark's operations and highlights, read our Annual Wrap-up. For more research projects, visit our research hub.