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Inappropriate apps rated as safe for young children are prevalent in the App Store, report warns
A recent report by Heat Initiative and ParentsTogether Action has revealed a shocking discovery – over 200 “risky” apps have been found to be rated as suitable for children as young as four years old on Apple’s App Store. The alarming presence of these inappropriate apps is a major cause for concern among child safety groups.
In a stunning 24-hour review period, the researcher and the two organizations identified an overwhelming number of “concerning content or features” in various apps that have been assigned age ratings as low as 4+, 9+, or 12+. These categories included chat (including AI and stranger chat apps), beauty, diet and weight loss, unfiltered internet access (apps for accessing schools’ banned sites) and gaming.
The findings are nothing short of alarming. At least 24 sexual games and 9 stranger chat apps were found to be marked as appropriate for children in these age groups. Moreover, the research identified a staggering 40 apps for unfiltered internet access and 75 apps relating to beauty, body image, and weight loss carrying these age ratings, along with 28 shooter and crime games.
It is essential to note that these offending apps have been downloaded over 550 million times. This raises serious concerns about child safety measures in the App Store.
Source: www.engadget.com
