As kids’ mobile usage continues to soar and the new Children’s Online Privacy Policy Act (COPPA) laws prepare for a July launch, it’s inevitable that conversations surrounding privacy will become increasingly commonplace.
So it’s timely that a new study conducted by review website Kids Best iPad Apps has found that only 104 out of 440 (or 24%) of children’s apps include a link to a privacy policy in their App Store promotion pages. Furthermore, the study found that these links did not always connect to a privacy policy but to a website without one.
As such, Kids Best iPad Apps has stopped reviewing products without a published privacy policy that outlines procedures for collecting personal information on young kids.
“Parents need reassurance that developers are not taking advantage of an app’s access to their children,” said the site’s CEO Mitchell Cogert in a statement.
The report comes as the Federal Trade Commission plans to expand its COPPA laws to include apps starting this July and provide parents with more control over what personal information can be collected by digital services from children under the age of 13.