Why is Apple letting its App Store run wild?
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently made headlinesfor personally calling Texas Governor Greg Abbott to urge a veto of a bill that would require age verification at the App Store level,关键字2 part of Apple’s second-most profitablerevenue stream. Cook's move is emblematic of a broader pattern: Big Tech leaders eager to profitfrom the distribution of addictive, predatory apps. The signing into law of the App Store Accountability Act in Texas — Cook’s appeal didn’t work — comes just under six months after research my colleagues at the Heat Initiative and I worked on was featured in the Wall Street Journal.After our report on the App Store came out, we made sure to track which of the apps’ age ratings changed. One that stood out was Draw Happy Police: Trivia Game, an app that featured reviews saying, “No 4-year-old should have to see or be exposed to a half naked woman or man,” but was rated 4+ as of December 3, 2024. After our report came out, the app was removed from the App Store entirely and reappeared in late January 2025 with a 17+ age rating. Draw Happy Police: Trivia Game also offers in-app purchases, making clear just how much developers and CEOs prioritize profit — they would recommend an inappropriate app to a 4-year-old and allow them to spend their parents' or guardians’ money on it. I was recently browsing Apple’s App Store when I came across the app Famefy. Famefy keeps young people glued to their artificial realities by creating an AI-simulated experience of fame, including (phony) fans and livestreams. The app creators boast, “Whether you’re simulating hype or living the life of a virtual celebrity, Famefy offers a realistic fan experience that makes you feel like a true star.” Simulated fame and livestreaming engender a certain craving for attention when participating in usually private moments, like applying make-up or picking out an outfit, teaching young people that intimate moments should be shared with anonymous viewers. As a young teenager, I came to crave the rush I would get when going live to my followers, and now with apps like Famefy, more than just young kids with followings are potentially getting hooked. Whether we see it in popular culture, like Cat’s storylinein season 1 of Euphoria, or in the newsfor something horrific, livestreaming for anyone under 18 years old only exalts voyeurism and the erasure of boundaries among children, a key ingredient to the profit models of many Big Tech companies. It is no accident that most teens use social media, and that the design features are created to exploit quick dopamine rushes. Creating the feeling of “addictedness” that most users feel when posting or scrolling their feeds only benefits Big Tech — 82 percent of Gen Zbelieves they are addicted to social media. Famefy also offers in-app purchases for the option to build your “perfect viewer.” When I read about in-app purchases, I immediately went to the age rating because, again, giving agency to young users to purchase anything, let alone the attention of a fake audience, is a predatory money grab of vulnerable users. The developers and Apple know this, which is why I assume they gave Famefy a 4+ age rating. The bill that Tim Cook was desperate to stop in Texas will legally require Apple to ensure accurate age ratings of individual apps. I would even advocate for one step further and ask for third-party, independent verification of the age ratings, like we have for video games, movies, and TV shows. With accountability like that, I would assume apps like Famefy will be forced to update their ratings. Lennon Torres is a Public Voices Fellow on Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse with The OpEd Project. She is an LGBTQ+ advocate who grew up in the public eye, gaining national recognition as a young dancer on television shows. With a deep passion for storytelling, advocacy, and politics, Lennon now works to center the lived experience of herself and others as she crafts her professional career in online child safety at Heat Initiative. This column reflects the author's opinion.
You May Also Like
SEE ALSO: Texas forces Google and Apple to verify ages in app stores. Teen social media ban could be next.
Related Stories
- 最近发表
-
- 以色列称袭击伊朗至少10名核科学家
- 国足前瞻:荣誉战赢球避免垫底 伊万或轮换阵容
- Nvidia's RTX 5080 is Actually an RTX 5070
- YouTrack的安装方法
- 四川成都深夜发生一起车祸致多车被撞,警方通报
- 智能化、新模式——浙江联运完美亮相西部第二届(成都)环卫博览会
- A Review of Nvidia's DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation
- Nvidia DLSS 4 Ray Reconstruction Analysis: Fixing Ugly Ray Tracing Noise
- 王钰栋:感谢韦世豪让出10号给我 罚点球前伊万问过自己
- Meet Your Fate in Call of Duty: Mobile Season 10 — 5th Anniversary!
- 随机阅读
-
- 伊朗称以军袭击德黑兰已造成5人死亡、20人受伤
- 全运会奖牌发布!祝运动健儿们取得佳绩!
- 真的老到不认识人了?伊万能否在告别战绝杀正名!
- Nadir, Naba clinch tennis titles in style
- Elon Musk: Tesla is testing driverless robotaxis in Austin ahead of schedule
- 全运会奖牌发布!祝运动健儿们取得佳绩!
- EditPlus如何进行常用设置
- 寓教于乐,宣教一体,垃圾分类从孩子做起
- 宇宙巡航机1代全地图怎么通关
- Meet Your Fate in Call of Duty: Mobile Season 10 — 5th Anniversary!
- Inzaghi to coach Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal
- 什么是JavaScript函数?
- "โรบินฮู้ด" ยกระดับร้านอาหารไทย
- South Africa name squad for Zimbabwe Test
- Bitcoin Recovers From Sub
- TON Jumps by 8% Daily as BTC Price Maintains $108K (Market Watch)
- 玩家要学会和队友合作
- 防守“断电”葬送好局,烈豹八强首战不敌上海队
- “有为青年”的爱心早餐
- WWDC 2025: Apple macOS 26 Tahoe gives you more screen space
- 搜索
-
- 友情链接
-