Report Highlights Inappropriate Apps Rated Safe for Young Kids on Apple’s App Store

Highlights

• Heat Initiative and ParentsTogether Action report found over 200 inappropriate apps rated as safe on Apple’s App Store.
• These apps included stranger chat and AI girlfriend apps, games with sexual or violent themes and beauty and body image apps.
• The report urges Apple to strengthen its child safety measures by using third-party reviewers and verifying age ratings.

Child safety groups Heat Initiative and ParentsTogether Action have jointly published a report uncovering some troubling issues with Apple’s App Store. According to the key findings, numerous apps deemed suitable for children as young as four years old contain inappropriate content.

The investigation was conducted over 24 hours and identified more than 200 apps with “concerning content or features” despite their age ratings. These apps include stranger chat and AI girlfriend apps, games with sexual or violent themes and AI-powered appearance rating apps.

The report focused on apps rated 4+, 9+, and 12+, particularly in categories labelled as “risky.” These included chat apps (like AI and stranger chat platforms), beauty and body image apps, diet and weight loss tools, unfiltered internet access apps and gaming.

The investigation revealed the following key findings –

• 24 sexual games and 9 stranger chat apps were marked safe for young children.
• 40 apps providing unfiltered internet access were rated 4+ or 9+.
• 75 beauty, body image, and weight loss apps carried ratings as low as 4+.
• 28 shooter and crime games were also deemed appropriate for kids.

According to Heat Initiative, these problematic apps have collectively been downloaded over 550 million times.

The research examined about 800 apps revealing stark differences between categories. Stranger chat apps and games were less likely to have inappropriate age ratings with many marked 17+. In contrast, nearly all apps in the weight loss and unfiltered internet access categories were rated 4+, raising significant safety concerns.

The report urges Apple to strengthen its child safety measures, specifically by using third-party reviewers to verify age ratings before apps go live. Apple can also make the age rating process transparent to consumers.

The report further underscores the importance of ensuring that children are protected from harmful content and features on digital platforms.

FAQs

Q1. What did the report by Heat Initiative uncover about apps on Apple’s App Store?

Answer. The report found over 200 apps with inappropriate content rated as safe for children as young as four years old on Apple’s App Store.

Q2. What types of apps were identified as having inappropriate content for young children?

Answer. The identified apps included stranger chat and AI girlfriend apps, games with sexual or violent themes, and beauty and body image apps.

Q3. What recommendations did the report make to Apple regarding app ratings?

Answer. The report urges Apple to strengthen its child safety measures by using third-party reviewers to verify age ratings before apps go live and making the age rating process transparent.

Q4. How many apps were identified as having concerning content despite their age ratings?

Answer. The investigation identified more than 200 apps with “concerning content or features” despite being rated as suitable for young children on Apple’s App Store.

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