A recent analysis of the App Store disclosed over 200 “risky or inappropriate” apps marked as suitable for children. Collectively, these apps have achieved more than 550 million downloads.
According to two child safety organizations, over 25% of the child-rated apps they evaluated raised red flags, indicating that the actual number of concerning apps is likely much higher.
‘Risky’ apps labeled suitable for children
The organizations collaborated on a project to analyze a selection of apps designated as appropriate for children as young as four.
The Apple App Store features nearly 2 million apps, making it a significant research task for organizations without the backing of Apple. Instead of trying to evaluate every single app, Heat Initiative and ParentsTogether Action joined forces with a researcher to assess as many apps as they could in a limited timeframe—24 hours. The review focused on various categories known for having safety concerns for children: chat apps, beauty apps, diet and weight loss apps, internet access apps, and gaming apps.
During that 24-hour period, roughly 800 apps were reviewed. At the time of reporting, over 200 of these were assessed as inappropriate for children aged 4, 9, or 12, despite their concerning content or features. The identified 200+ risky apps have collectively garnered more than 550 million downloads.
Among the examples were 25 chat apps that have the potential to connect kids with strangers. One was reportedly described as being “nothing but pedophiles.”
Another category comprised apps specifically designed to assist children in bypassing internet access restrictions. Additionally, there were apps that encouraged users to upload photos for “hotness” ratings as well as those promoting unhealthy weight loss methods.
Some gaming apps featured “dares” that would be considered inappropriate for children, such as running around outside naked and “imagining a sexy photo shoot.”
The report asserts that the App Store acts as “a mass distributor of risky and inappropriate apps to children.”
Apple falls short on safety assurances
The report highlights that Apple claims to perform app evaluations that include verifying the appropriateness of age ratings.
It references Apple’s marketing statements that declare “the App Store is a safe and trusted place to discover and download apps,” and reassures parents that “it’s easy to ensure your kids are interacting with age-appropriate content.”
However, the report contends that Apple’s checks do not meet such standards, and the company places all legal responsibility for age ratings on developers.
It further claims that the iPhone maker benefits from lenient controls as this increases app downloads, and consequently, Apple’s commission.
As long as those assigning app age ratings have a profit motive to maximize availability, this issue—and its detrimental impact on families—will persist.
DMN’s Perspective
While there is a degree of subjectivity regarding what is deemed suitable for children, it is evident that some examples clearly cross the line: they should not be available to kids at all.
Moreover, some argue that the primary responsibility for assessing app suitability for children falls on their parents or guardians.
Apple’s major concern here is the discrepancy between its promises and its actual performance, particularly given that the company has utilized these assurances to defend against antitrust accusations.
Although all apps undergo reviews before being published on the App Store, Apple has previously disclosed that it has a global team of approximately 500 individuals who manage an average of 132,500 app reviews weekly. This equates to around 50 apps per reviewer every day.
It is apparent that this cannot possibly deliver the level of scrutiny that Apple’s marketing suggests, leading to the conclusion that the company either needs to revise its commitments—perhaps clarifying that it conducts checks aimed at decreasing the number of problematic apps that slip through—or allocate sufficient resources to genuinely fulfill its promises.
Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash
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