Apple Bars Behavioral Targeting in Children's Apps

Apple has introduced a new set of rules to ensure that developers no longer use behavioral ad targeting techniques aimed at those aged under 13. Developers must also ensure that children's apps include a privacy policy and a system for seeking parental permission for in-app purchases.

These revised rulings have been put in place prior to Apple's launch of a new 'kids category' on its App Store. They cover four points relating to apps intended for use by children under the age of thirteen: they must include a privacy policy; must not include behavioral advertising based on the user's activity within the app; parental permission must be sought before allowing the user to link out of the app, or make online purchases; and they must be made specifically for children aged 5 and under, between 6 and 8, or aged 9 to 11.

Despite introducing these guidelines, Apple has not indicated how children's app developers can use analytics tools to gather information on what their users are doing in their iOS apps, although developers based in certain countries are already governed by existing child protection laws. For example, in the US, the The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recently introduced amendments to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), to give parents greater control over the personal information that web sites and online services collect from children aged under thirteen.

In a recent report produced by UK telecoms regulator Ofcom, it was found that many parents are using tablet devices to keep their children occupied. The majority (91%) of parents with a tablet say their children use it or have one of their own, and two in five (41%) report daily tablet use by their children. TV-type viewing on tablets by children tends to take place in the same room as the main TV or in their bedroom.

Web site: www.apple.com .