There are over 2 million apps listed in the Apple App Store. Believe it or not, even though it is operated by Apple, which values security, safety and privacy of users – not all apps are safe. Recently, hundreds of apps that are said to be safe for kids have been found to be very dangerous.
Because it is difficult to review all the millions of apps, Heat Initiative and ParentsTogether Action worked with researchers to review as many apps as possible in a 24-hour period. In their study, it was found that over 200 apps labeled safe for kids were actually dangerous and inappropriate apps.
All of these apps found had over 550 million downloads. 25 of the apps found were for messaging that connected children with pedophiles, there was also an app that allowed children to rate their beauty, then there was also an app that suggested unhealthy weight loss methods, and there was also a game that gave children inappropriate challenges to compete in.
According to the study, everyone involved in this process is disappointed with Apple's claim that the App Store is the safest app store because every app is supposedly reviewed and censored. This also proves that parents and guardians are obligated to monitor their children's smartphone usage activities.