Apple Changes Purchase Policy To Prevent Kids' Shopping Sprees

Apple will change purchase policy to prevent children from spending recklessly on iTunes games, according to the Washington Post.

Parents had previously complained that kids were spending bundles of money making in-app purchases for games like Smurf's Village while buying virtual products like hundred dollar buckets of smurfberries. A fifteen-minute window after downloads let children purchase anything without having to enter a password.

The new operating system, iOS 4.3, will now require a password for in-app purchases the first time someone opens an app, not every time a purchase is made, GigaOm learned. Once the first password is entered, the same 15-minute window of purchase freedom will open.

"We are proud to have industry-leading parental controls with iOS," Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple, told the Washington Post.

Apple's announcement comes on the heels of consumer outrage, and news that the Federal Trade Commission would be examining the policy to ensure that children were protected.

Despite these changes, many maintain that Apple's policies are not enough to keep children from making purchases they might not realize require real money. Apple does not warn users that in-app purchases are actual monetary purchases and not part of the internal game.

Parents already have the ability to prevent children from downloading new apps and making in-app purchases under settings.

Comments

[segdae22]

07:16 PM on 03/14/2011

These kinds of business decisions annoy me. Why can't parents just take responsibility and, oh I don't know, disable purchases in settings or even better DON'T GIVE YOUR KID AN IPHONE! Seriously - have we lost all common sense?

[Aleks Hunter]

08:05 PM on 03/14/2011

OK so lets get rid of drinking and tobacco age laws, parents can make sure their kids don't drink or smoke. And why do we need drivers licences? Good parents will be sure their kids drive safely. Heck, lets just shutter the schools too. Parents know best what kids need to know.

Smartphone apps linked to accounts are like giving kids credit cards, its good that a corporation is stepping up and at least letting parents know what the little darlings are buying before hitting them with the bill.

[Bravofett]

04:29 PM on 03/14/2011

They are intruding on kid's rights to buy unlimited smurfberries!

[StrangeAddress]

03:22 PM on 03/14/2011

It's funny how these parents give their kids iPhones and then NOT expect something like this to happen. Not to mention that little kids don't need iPhones, its unnecessary.

[ZeFoussa]

12:08 PM on 03/14/2011

Wait... So what are parents for? Is it Apple's responsibility to educate your children. Seriously...

[fairplaystacy]

12:57 PM on 04/17/2011

Republicans want to cut education funding because our kids and parents are already smart enough

[yesyesyes]

03:13 PM on 03/13/2011

Kids don't need an iPhone.

[canuckhoser]

01:41 AM on 03/13/2011

I have no idea what this article is talking about and yet children do...buckets of smurfberries..?

30's are the new 60's....

[Capn Scott]

03:07 PM on 03/12/2011

One wouldn't think that that many young children have unfettered access to an iphone. Apparently they do though.

[ran6110]

07:58 PM on 03/12/2011

Interesting, you got your SPAM through the moderators & filters...

What is this some special AOL deal to let you through?!?

Sorry, I don't give my contact information our before I see the deals, as far as I'm concerned Printapons is just another scamming email address harvester.