The study was conducted over a 24-hour period and the results were alarming; Many of these apps are designed for kids ages 4 and up, but actually include chats with strangers, inappropriate content, and apps to evaluate appearance using artificial intelligence.
The researchers paid particular attention to apps rated for ages 4+, 9+ and 12+, belonging to “risky” categories such as chat, games, beauty apps and diet. The research found at least 24 dangerous games and 9 applications for chatting with strangers that were presented as safe for children. Additionally, 40 applications for unlimited internet access, 75 applications related to beauty and weight loss, and 28 applications related to crime-related games were identified. These apps have been downloaded more than 550 million times in total.
The report calls on Apple to strengthen child safety measures on the App Store by recommending the use of third-party reviewers to verify age ratings of apps. He also talks about the need to make the app evaluation process more transparent to users.
Source: Ferra
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