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Set some parental controls? Don't authorize them to use your credit card? Don't let them use the device at all if there's nothing else you can do? I know it's

by spain 12y ago

Set some parental controls? Don't authorize them to use your credit card? Don't let them use the device at all if there's nothing else you can do? I know it's devious for app developers to go after kids but you can prevent it without any government intervention with a little responsibility on your part. You wouldn't give your child a credit card and let them loose in a toy store either.

mfringel 12y ago
Ignoring everything in that last statement after the "but", you say: I know it's devious for app developers to go after kids Agreed. Google is doing something about that.
watwut 12y ago
The trouble with parental controls used to be that they worked differently then advertised. Parent configured password, but there was grace periods of password-less 15 minutes after each buy which was not explained to user. You had to follow tech news to know about it. Or, parent configured password, but the password was required only for app store, not for IAP. Apple store does not allow you to download anything, not even free apps, if you do not have credit card set up. So, if you wanted anything on that device, you had to configure it there. Essentially, parental controls are getting better slowly, but only lately and under pressure of regulators. The other issues are already existing regulations about marketing targeted at children and when the word "free" is a lie. EU restricts kids targeted advertisements in general and has rules against lies in advertisements. A lot of debate is friction about whether app stores should follow the same rules as everybody else and how to interpret those rules in apps.
- mitchty 12y ago
  I think ios8 will really help out with the whole situation of needing credit cards to be tied to an account. Not that that helps right now but I tested it out and it is pretty damn impressive. Glad I don't have kids right now though so I don't need to deal with it at all. >.<

by spain 12y ago

mfringel 12y ago

Ignoring everything in that last statement after the "but", you say: I know it's devious for app developers to go after kids Agreed. Google is doing something about that.

watwut 12y ago

The trouble with parental controls used to be that they worked differently then advertised. Parent configured password, but there was grace periods of password-less 15 minutes after each buy which was not explained to user. You had to follow tech news to know about it. Or, parent configured password, but the password was required only for app store, not for IAP. Apple store does not allow you to download anything, not even free apps, if you do not have credit card set up. So, if you wanted anything on that device, you had to configure it there. Essentially, parental controls are getting better slowly, but only lately and under pressure of regulators. The other issues are already existing regulations about marketing targeted at children and when the word "free" is a lie. EU restricts kids targeted advertisements in general and has rules against lies in advertisements. A lot of debate is friction about whether app stores should follow the same rules as everybody else and how to interpret those rules in apps.

mitchty 12y ago
I think ios8 will really help out with the whole situation of needing credit cards to be tied to an account. Not that that helps right now but I tested it out and it is pretty damn impressive. Glad I don't have kids right now though so I don't need to deal with it at all. >.<