Questions raised about apps for kids containing advertising 

Children’s apps which contain adverts could lead to a probe of the Android app market after news surfaced today that several leading apps for kids have been found to inappropriately encourage youngsters to make purchase or view adverts.

Two consumer groups say that a new study shows that even apps for youngsters too young to attend nursery are loaded with advertisements. The groups, Campaign for a Digital-Free Childhood and the Center for Digital Democracy have called on the US Federal Trade Commission to get involved. The say the Commission needs to thoroughly investigate the Android apps marketplace, Google Play with a focus on apps built for young children.

The uproar comes on the heels of a research paper, published by the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. It focused on a study just completed by researchers from the University of Michigan, which looked at 135 apps from Google Play. Of the 135 apps analysed, 96 were the most downloaded apps from Google Play’s ‘5 and under’ category. The researchers concluded that every app apart from six contained at least one form of advertising.

The study found that pop-up adds were common, with example cited of pop ups being triggered when a level is completed on the Kids Animals Jigsaw Puzzle app. Other apps were found to include in-app purchases, with one such example being given an Strawberry Shortcake Bake Shop. The study found that some of the 5 and Under apps used commercial characters as objects of play – as is the case in Hello Kitty.

Michigan University said its study is the first of its kind to delve into advertising practises used in mobile and interactive media that is consumed by children. It says its conclusions shows high levels of ‘manipulative’ advertising targeting children, nothing that kids under eight spend an average of one hour per day with mobile media.

The executive director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Josh Golin issued a statement saying, “Disguising ads as part of game play and using cartoon characters to manipulate children into making in-app purchases is not only unethical, but illegal”. For its part, Google has said that add developers are required to adhere to its guidelines and, if advertising or in-app purchasing are present in an app, a disclaimer must be issued.

While the study didn’t look at apps for children on the App Store, it says that since Google Play is the bigger marketplace, it is most likely a reflection of experiences.