Citizen: Safety & Live Video
Watch riskRated Watch · How we rate
Real-time crime and emergency alerts—useful for aware teens and adults, but can amplify fear and misinformation if misused.
| Minimum age | 13 |
|---|---|
| Strangers can contact | Yes |
| Location sharing | Yes |
| Disappearing messages | No |
| Parental visibility | Limited |
Citizen is a location-based safety app that broadcasts real-time alerts about crimes, fires, accidents, and emergencies in your neighborhood. Users can watch live video from incidents, track events on a map, and monitor police scanner audio. The app rewards users for posting their own video from emergencies.
- Alert Zones: Set specific areas (home, school, workplace) to receive notifications rather than blanket coverage of your entire neighborhood.
- Notification Radius: Customize how far from your location you receive alerts.
- Notification Settings: Disable video notifications or limit alert frequency if real-time updates feel overwhelming.
- Screen Time & Parental Controls: Use device-level screen time limits to prevent compulsive checking; consider restricting app access to specific times of day.
- Premium vs. Free: The free version is less detailed; Premium adds police audio and archives. Neither includes true parental controls, so oversight is manual.
Other apps to know about
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Bluesky Social
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CapCut
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CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio
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DramaBox - Stream Drama Shorts
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DramaWave - Dramas & Reels
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Updated August 2026
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