Two child safety organizations recently reported that the current age rating process in the App Store is ‘not doing enough to protect children’
ParentsTogether Action and the Heat Initiative said they hired a researcher to review apps in the App Store for 24 hours, with a focus on categories where there are possible safety risks to children. Some of the categories were gaming, weight loss and diet, chatting, beauty, and more. During the span of time, more than 200 out of the total 800 reviewed apps were deemed to have ‘concerning content or features’ but were still made available to children.
The report said that Apple’s rating system was lacking not just on individual apps in adult-oriented categories, but also on categories with potential harm. The organizations offered several solutions to the problem, and Apple responded by saying the company has ‘already done a lot to protect children with its existing tools.’
