Getting past the bouncer is easy if you’re trying to go through the velvet ropes belonging to an app. That’s because, in most cases, all you need to do is check a box that says you’re over 18 to access apps containing inappropriate content. And we all know that no one under 18 would check a box pretending to be older just to get a glimpse of some pictures, right? Apple says that it is working on new methods to protect children and will be rolling them out on a staggered basis.
Apple wants to make it easier for parents to protect their kids from inappropriate apps
Obviously, the company feels that this is not a sufficient safeguard since an iPhone or iPad user under 18 can swipe their parent’s card numbers. Instead, Apple will look at the credit card already being used on the adult’s Apple Account and will check the payment history of the card and confirm whether the adult has ever used Face ID or Touch ID. If so, Apple will allow that parent to continue the setup of the child’s Apple Account.
“While only a fraction of apps on the App Store may require age verification, all users would have to hand over their sensitive personally identifying information to us—regardless of whether they actually want to use one of these limited set of apps. That means giving us data like a driver’s license, passport, or national identification number (such as a Social Security number), even if we don’t need it. And because many kids in the U.S. don’t have government-issued IDs, parents in the U.S. will have to provide even more sensitive documentation just to allow their child to access apps meant for children. That’s not in the interest of user safety or privacy.”-Apple
Apple is also going to give parents the ability to share the age range of their kids so that developers show the minors only those apps appropriate for their ages. All information is shared without revealing birth dates or other sensitive information. The age range will be shared only if parents agree to do so and the feature can be disabled by parents at any time.
Apple will update the global age ratings of the apps listed in the App Store
To help parents control which apps are shown to their kids, a change is coming later this year. When kids open the App Store and browse for apps, they won’t be shown apps with age ratings higher than the ones that have been set by their parents. These apps are typically featured in places like the Today, Games, and
Apps tabs, or in our editorial stories and collections found in the App Store.
Later this year, Apple will be including global age ratings on its apps:
- Age 4+-The app contains no objectionable content.
- Age 9+-The app may contain instances of content not suitable for users under 9, including infrequent or mild cartoon or fantasy violence, profanity or crude humor, or mature, suggestive, or horror-or fear-themed content.
- Age 13+-The app may contain instances of content not suitable for users under 13, including infrequent or mild medical or treatment-focused content, references to alcohol, tobacco, or drug use, sexual content or nudity, realistic violence, or simulated gambling; or frequent or intense contests, profanity or crude humor, horror or fear-themed content, or cartoon or
- fantasy violence.
- Age 16+-The app may contain instances of content not suitable for users under 16, including through unrestricted web access, frequent or intense mature or suggestive content, or medical or treatment- focused content.
- Age 18+-The app may contain instances of content not suitable for users under 18, including through instances of gambling, frequent or intense simulated gambling, references to alcohol, tobacco, or drug use, sexual content or nudity, or realistic violence.
