Apple adds new rules on children's apps to iOS developer guidelines

Apple has paved the way for the launch of its new Kids category on its App Store by adding new rules for children's apps to its developer guidelines.

The newly-added "Kids Apps' section of Apple's App Store Review Guidelines sets out the company's policy on privacy, advertising and use of in-app purchases in iOS apps aimed at children younger than 13.

It comes after several months of news stories about children racking up big bills buying virtual items in mobile games without their parents' knowledge, and ahead of the publication this autumn of a report on children's apps by the UK's Office of Fair Trading.

Apple's new guidelines cover four key points:

24.1
Apps primarily intended for use by kids under 13 must include a privacy policy
24.2
Apps primarily intended for use by kids under 13 may not include behavioral advertising (e.g. the advertiser may not serve ads based on the user's activity within the App), and any contextual ads presented in the App must be appropriate for kids
24.3
Apps primarily intended for use by kids under 13 must get parental permission or use a parental gate before allowing the user to link out of the app or engage in commerce
24.4
Apps in the Kids Category must be made specifically for kids ages 5 and under, ages 6-8, or ages 9-11

The rules aren't a huge surprise for children's app developers, with many having added privacy policies and .........read full@theguardian

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