Apps designed for children must not include third-party advertising, behavioral analytics, or social networking features, and can only collect personal data that is strictly necessary for the app to function.
This analysis describes what Apple's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This provision prohibits the data collection and advertising practices in child-directed apps that are most commonly associated with privacy risks to minors, including behavioral advertising identifiers, third-party analytics, and social features.
The updated guidelines state that developers must ensure kids receive age-appropriate experiences within their apps and must remove user-generated content that violates the guidelines, terms of service, or community standards. Under the revised policy, if Apple identifies policy-violating content, the developer will be asked to remove it and provide a compliance improvement plan. Based on the developer's response, the app may be removed from the App Store until compliance is demonstrated. This establishes a formal escalation pathway where developer inaction or inadequate remediation can result in app suspension or removal.
View change record →Requirements restructured to add explicit prohibitions on unnecessary personal information collection and social networking/chat features, and parental consent language shifted from 'should' to 'may not' for third-party data collection.
View full change record →Parents whose children use apps listed in Apple's Kids Category can rely on the guidelines' prohibition on third-party advertising networks, behavioral analytics, and unnecessary personal data collection in those apps; however, enforcement depends on developer compliance and Apple's review process.
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At Ledger, earning and maintaining our users' trust is a top priority. That's why we are deeply committed not only to protecting your privacy and securing your personal data, but also to being fully transparent about how we handle it.
If we collect health information from these integrations (such as heart rate), we will not sell or use it for advertising or other similar purposes; we do not disclose it to third parties without your prior consent; and we will only use it for the specific purposes described in this Policy.
We collect your personal data when you use our Services, create a new eBay account, provide us with information via a web form, add or update information in your eBay account, participate in online community discussions or otherwise interact with us.
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"Apps in the Kids Category may not include third-party advertising or analytics. Apps in the Kids Category must not request more personal information than is necessary to operate the app. Apps in the Kids Category should not include any means of social networking or of chat. Apps in the Kids Category may not include advertising networks, third-party analytics, or data collection without verifiable parental consent.— Excerpt from Apple's Apple App Store Review Guidelines
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly implicates COPPA (enforced by the FTC), which prohibits online collection of personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent and restricts behavioral advertising directed at children. The FTC has actively enforced COPPA against app developers and platform operators. EU GDPR Article 8 and the UK Children's Code (Age Appropriate Design Code) impose heightened obligations for services directed at or likely to be accessed by children, enforced by the UK ICO and EU data protection authorities. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. Developers submitting to the Kids Category must audit all SDKs, advertising networks, and analytics tools to confirm they are excluded or appropriately restricted. Apple's guidelines do not define the verification mechanism for parental consent in detail, creating potential ambiguity about what satisfies the requirement; developers should assess COPPA's verifiable parental consent standard as the applicable baseline. JURISDICTION FLAGS: US developers face FTC COPPA enforcement. UK developers or apps accessible to UK minors are subject to the UK Children's Code, which may impose obligations beyond what Apple's guidelines specify. EU developers face GDPR Article 8 requirements for child consent and national age of digital consent variations across member states. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Developers must ensure that no third-party SDK integrated into a Kids Category app collects personal data or serves behavioral advertising. Vendor contracts should include representations that SDKs are COPPA-compliant and do not engage in prohibited data practices. SDK substitution or removal may be required for Kids Category compliance. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should conduct a full SDK audit for any app targeting children, map all data flows to confirm no personal information is transmitted to third parties without verifiable parental consent, and implement age-gate mechanisms where the app serves both child and general audiences (mixed-audience apps). Age verification and parental consent workflows should be documented to demonstrate COPPA compliance in the event of regulatory inquiry.
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This provision prohibits the data collection and advertising practices in child-directed apps that are most commonly associated with privacy risks to minors, including behavioral advertising identifiers, third-party analytics, and social features.
Parents whose children use apps listed in Apple's Kids Category can rely on the guidelines' prohibition on third-party advertising networks, behavioral analytics, and unnecessary personal data collection in those apps; however, enforcement depends on developer compliance and Apple's review process.
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