As Apple gears up to unveil an AI-powered iPhone, concerned parents and online safety advocates are demanding that CEO Tim Cook step up efforts to protect kids of dangerous content in the App Store, The Post has learned.
In a petition drive organized by advocacy groups ParentsTogether and Heat Initiative, more than 7,800 parents, caregivers and other individuals urged Cook to apply “implement independent, third-party review and verification of app age ratings in the Apple App Store.”
Disturbing examples include an AI “nudifying” app that until recently was rated age 4+ and readily available for download, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Elsewhere, a lawsuit filed against TikTok in Iowa argues the app is inaccurately rated 12+ in the App Store despite exposing kids to “sexual content, self-harm, illegal drug use, and worse.”
A whopping 87% of parents want Apple and other device manufacturer to invest more resources toward protecting kids from dangerous content, according to the results of a poll commissioned by the groups.
“Right now, parents can’t trust Apple’s ratings because both Apple and the app developers have a financial incentive to make their products available to more kids,” said Shelby Knox, Online Safety Campaigns Director for ParentsTogether.
The group’s survey found that 83% of parents fear that their kids will be exposed to “inappropriate content and to unsafe interactions with peers, adults, and strangers online” through smart devices.
“Parents need to be able to trust Apple, which means Apple needs independent, third-party review and verification of app ratings, like movie, TV, or video game ratings, so parents can make informed decisions about what’s best for their kids,” Knox added.
Seventy-four percent of respondents said Apple and other firms should impose age restrictions as set by independent experts.
The iPhone 16 is set to be revealed on Monday during a hotly anticipated event at Apple’s Cupertino headquarters.
The new phone has been touted by Cook as a “game changer” and the “next big step” for the company as it looks to reverse a sales slump. The device features a suite of AI figures called “Apple Intelligence” and a partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
Sarah Gardner, CEO of Heat Initiative, said the concept of independent app ratings is “overwhelmingly popular” with parents.
“Movies, TV shows, and video games are all subject to independent review and ratings from organizations with no direct financial stake in the product, so it’s just common sense that the nearly two million apps on the Apple App Store should go through a similar process,” Gardner said in a statement.
The group’s poll surveyed 1,007 parents with kids in grades kindergarten through 12th grade with access to a smartphone or tablet. It was conducted by Bellwether Research from Aug. 17 through Aug. 23 through text and phone questionnaires.
The iPhone launch comes as Apple and other Big Tech giants face mounting scrutiny on Capitol Hill over their alleged failure to protect kids online. Legislative efforts are underway in Congress and within several individual states to hold the companies accountable.
Apple has a history of dodging responsibility on the issue, according to its critics.
In 2021, lawmakers in Louisiana proposed a bill that would have required Apple to enforce age restrictions that would have blocked minors from downloading certain apps.
Apple responded by threatening to cancel production of a Will Smith movie in the state unless they backed down, the Wall Street Journal reported. The app store provision was later removed.
Apple has argued that age verification requirements should fall on social media companies and claims user privacy would be compromised if the firm was forced to share the ages of its users with third-party apps.
The company denied pressuring lawmakers on the bill.
