App Store Now Has Sub-Section Just For Kids' Games

To better serve both parents and kids who want to find games in the App Store, Apple in now talking up their sub-category under the 'Kids' section. 'Games for Kids' features content for youngsters under 11, which is broken out further into age groups under that threshold. There are games for kids 5 and under, 6-8, and older kids aged 9-11. The sub-section for gaming also includes a free book aimed at familiarizing parents with content for kids, and outlines best practices for using those apps together.

This 'Games for Kids' category is the latest move by Apple after the company had to pony up quite a bit of cash for unauthorized in-app purchases. In January of last year, Apple agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the FTC for not informing parents of the in-app loophole that allowed additional purchases to be made within 15 minutes after the original.

As a result of that lawsuit, Apple paid roughly $32 million to affected customers.

'Games of Kids' has titles you might expect, and seem to mimic the media kids like quite a bit. Thomas the Train and other TV-realted games are widespread.

In placing 'Games for Kids' under the 'Kids' section of the App Store, Apple also makes sure it adheres to the same guidelines. Developers won't be able to grab info like names, addresses, phone numbers or images without consent from a parent. Parents should also keep Apple's Family Share in mind when letting kids shop for apps.

Source: App Store