A new report from the Heat Initiative and ParentsTogether Action claims the Apple App Store has hundreds of “risky” apps rated as appropriate for kids. Here are some highlights from the report:
° 1-in-4 parents (26%) of children aged 13-18 report that their kids or their kids’ friends have been exposed to inappropriate content or received unwelcome sexual messages through text messaging on an Apple device. This is twice the percentage compared to parents who report the same experiences on an Android device (13%).
° 2-in-10 tried to report this to Apple and they were more likely to say this was not resolved to their satisfaction (42%) than to say they were satisfied (28%); some weren’t sure (28%).
° Three-fourths of parents (74%) support requiring the age rating on apps to be determined by an independent expert review process rather than by device and app makers.
° A majority of children have access to an Apple device (72% used an iPhone and 52% used an iPad), but less than half (42%) of parents are confident that Apple customer service would effectively respond to and address reports of harmful situations suggesting that device manufacturers need to improve their responsiveness to these concerns.
° Eighty-seven percent of parents agree (68% strongly agree) that device makers like Apple and Google should invest more. In measures that will protect children from harmful content, applications, and interactions on their devices.
The Heat Initiative describes itself as “a collective effort of concerned child safety experts and advocates encouraging leading technology companies to combat child sexual abuse on their platforms.” ParentsTogether Action is a parent-led, people-powered education and advocacy organization.
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