Spot the Cue has a separate Teen mode for ages 13–17. It practices the same skills as the adult version, but every scenario is set where teens actually are: school, friends, family, and group chats.
When the app opens, choose “I’m a teen (or setting this up for one).” No sign-up, no ads.
playful
doubtful
nervous
Seven skills, each with six levels that start easy and get subtler.
try one
In Teen mode’s eyes & faces practice, the faces look like teens, so the expressions are the ones teens actually see across a classroom or a lunch table. Every face is synthetic and AI-generated. None of them is a real person.
Pick a read. Often more than one answer is reasonable; the explanation says why one fits best.
What are these eyes saying?
Images: AI-generated · from the app’s Teen mode eyes & faces practice
Each rep is a moment, four possible reads, and an explanation of the cue. The moment can be a line of dialogue, a photo, a voice clip, a text thread, or a short video. These five are from the app, from Level 1 up to Level 5.
“Oh, um, I’ll see if I can make it.”
Subtext · Level 1Dialogue
You invite a classmate to your birthday. They say they’ll see if they can make it, not meeting your eyes.
The read: a soft no. “I’ll see” with no real commitment and no eye contact is usually a polite no. Take it gracefully, and don’t push.
Facial & body cues · Level 3Photo
You ask your mom how her day was. “I’m fine!” she says, with a quick, bright smile.
The read: a smile covering a harder feeling. Her mouth smiles, but her eyes stay tense and a little sad. You don’t have to push; “Okay… I’m around if you want to talk” leaves the door open.
Tone & wording · Level 3Voice clip
You made the team and a friend who tried out didn’t. When you tell them, they say “That’s awesome, congrats!!” fast and bright, then change the subject.
The read: happy for you, but maybe stinging too. Over-bright praise that pivots away can cover disappointment. You can be glad and gentle at once: “Wish we’d both made it.”
A friend
Tone & wording · Level 4Text thread
After a fight, you text a friend a long apology. They reply: “k.”
The read: genuinely unclear. A one-letter reply could mean “it’s fine” or “not ready to talk.” Don’t over-read it; check in face to face later.
Tone & wording · Level 5Video
You tell your teacher your essay topic. She glances at the page, pauses, and says “Hm — interesting choice.”
The read: doubts she’s being polite about. A pause on its own can just be thinking; it’s the pause plus no follow-up question that leans toward doubt. Ask straight: “Is it a good fit, or should I rethink it?”
8 seconds, with sound · Video: AI-generated
Teen mode isn’t the adult app with a filter on top. It has its own scenario bank and a few rules that don’t change.
About a minute, on the web or on iPhone.
To switch modes later, go to Settings → Audience on the web, or Profile → Audience in the iPhone app.
Level 1 of every skill is free in Teen mode, with no sign-up and no ads.
Start practicing freeSomething else? The support page has more answers and a way to reach us.
Ages 13 to 17. Spot the Cue isn’t meant for children under 13, and the app asks for a one-time confirmation before Teen mode starts.
No. Teen mode works without an account or an email address, and progress is stored on the device. Signing in is optional.
Level 1 of all seven skills is free, with no sign-up and no ads. Levels 2–6 are a one-time $19.99, not a subscription. The pricing page has the details.
No. It’s general practice for reading social cues, not a clinical, diagnostic, or treatment tool. Many teens who find social cues hard to read, including autistic teens and teens with social anxiety, like practicing privately at their own pace, but it isn’t a substitute for professional support.
