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 BitLife
BitLife
A guide for families with key information about ‘BitLife’, including the age rating, key terminology, risks and instructions for enabling parental controls and safety settings.

Part of In the know
Contents
Official age rating
How children and young people use the app
Key features and terminology
Potential risks 
Tips for keeping your child safe
Additional tips
BitLife – Life Simulator is a free role-playing game developed by Candywriter LLC, available on Google Play and on the Apple App Store. In BitLife, a player can control one or more characters from infancy to old age. Throughout the game, the player will need to manage four statistics: happiness, health, smarts, and looks. Characteristics of the player’s background, such as national origin, gender, race, family background and wealth are randomly generated. As the player character grows up, they will have the opportunity to make life choices, such as going to university, finding a job, moving to a new country or having a family. While there is no upfront cost to play, there is a multitude of in-game purchases and in-game ads. There is a sizeable BitLife following on YouTube and TikTok.

Official age rating
BitLife is a PEGI 16 rated game.

BitLife is rated 17+ (Mature) on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Find out more about age ratings in our ‘A parent and carer’s guide to age ratings of apps and games’.

How children and young people use the app
BitLife can be compelling for teens and young adults as a real-life simulator. The ability to generate many different characters and make life decisions for each character is appealing. These life decisions can range from who will be their first kiss, the career path they choose or whether to emigrate to a new country. The game allows young people to imagine themselves in many different life scenarios, ranging anywhere from a billionaire Norwegian baroness to an Ethiopian educational psychologist among other endless possibilities.

Key features and terminology
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Activities
Age
Assets
Challenges
Happiness
Health
Job
Looks
Money
Smarts
Stats
Relationship
Ribbon
Encounter
Mini games
Karma
Potential risks
Content
The PEGI 16 rating given to BitLife reflects the range of adult themes and content that players are likely to be exposed to within the game. The nature of the game means that players choose the path of their character, and therefore make active decisions about the type of content they encounter. Within the game, there are references to sexualised content, such as pornography, prostitution, genitalia and sexually transmitted diseases. There are also references to drugs, alcohol and gambling as well as significant crime references. Player choices can also result in their character dying by suicide. Parents and carers should be aware of the wide range of adult themes found within this game and consider whether it is suitable for their child. If you choose to allow your child to play BitLife, it is recommended that you speak with your child about the adult themes found in the game and allow them to ask any questions they may have. Some children may find it upsetting if the life-choices they have made for their character lead to some of the more distressing content and subsequent consequences for their character. Ensure your child knows they can talk to you about anything they find upsetting or confusing within the game.

There is a significant number of violent references within the game, some of which prompt players to engage in. For example, if they witness a character committing a crime, they can choose to ignore them, assault them or intervene by calling the police. Whilst this is a game, the whole concept is to simulate real-life experiences and actively engaging in options to assault another character may be confusing for some players. Talk to your child about this and remind them about expectations over their behaviour in the real-world.

Some of the game’s challenges also reward players for fulfilling tasks that may be distressing or confusing for younger users. Examples include becoming an alcoholic, committing violent acts, or starting a cult. It is important to reinforce to your child the type of behaviour that is acceptable offline and to encourage them to talk to you if they see anything they may find confusing or distressing.

It is worth noting that users can import device contacts as characters within the game, which will likely include friends and family. Whilst players cannot connect with their contacts in the game, they may see characters based on real people in their lives simulating inappropriate behaviour, such as sexual or violent acts. This may be confusing for some players, so remind your child that these are just gaming simulations of people they know in real life. To avoid confusion, it is not recommended that contacts are synced within the game.

Connecting with others
BitLife is a single-player game and has no ability to connect to other players. However, BitLife encourages players to help their characters build a social media account, which is done by sending a BitLife referral text to one of the user’s device contacts. It is not mandatory to make a social media profile, but their BitLife character is penalised and loses a significant amount of ‘Happiness’ if they do not sign up for social media. Talk to your child about this feature and ensure they understand that it is not an essential requirement to play the game.

User behaviour
The nature of the adult themes found within BitLife could be particularly triggering for some players, so it is recommended that this game is treated with significant caution. Talk to your child about the themes they may be exposed to and maintain regular interest in the life-choices they have made for their character. Encourage your child to be mindful of their own mental health and wellbeing when playing this game and remind them to disassociate between the game and their offline selves. Remind your child that you are available to talk about anything they have found upsetting or confusing within the game.

It is recommended that parents and carers talk with their child about what are and are not appropriate decisions to make within the game and ensure they know the offline expectations of their behaviour.

Design, data and costs
BitLife is designed to be an addictive mobile game and notifications are used to keep players engaged in the game, especially when they have been away from the game for a while. Players can manage their notifications on their device settings. Talk to your child about setting boundaries for time spent playing. Remind your child that their gaming progress is automatically saved and there are no penalties for turning off the app.

The game’s weekly challenges also contribute to keeping users engaged for long periods of time. They introduce a nature of competitiveness that encourages them to complete them as fast as possible so that they can see how they rank compared to other players around the world. Be aware that these challenges also often require players to purchase additional content such as job packs, so that they can achieve the tasks set for them. Encourage your child to take regular breaks from the game and talk to them about the ways in which the game encourages them to stay engaged and spending money.

There are several in-app purchases which offer premium features, such as disabling adverts or allowing the user to take part in challenges and unlock accessories. Speak to your child about in-app purchases and ensure they understand that real money is used to make purchases within the game. You can also set the relevant in-app purchase settings on your device and make sure that the game is not unknowingly linked to your bank cards or financial details.  More information on this can be found in the ‘Manage time and purchases’ section of this guide.

Tips for keeping your child safe
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Managing privacy
Managing interactions and content
Reporting and blocking
Managing time and purchases
Account deletion and deactivation
Additional tips
BitLife runs a digital helpdesk which offers support on the app’s frequently asked questions, purchases and billing, technical issues and game settings. On this helpdesk, parents and carers can get information about refunds in the event of an accidental purchase as well as provide feedback.

First published
13 April 2023
Last updated
30 April 2024
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