According to Pixalate’s research, over 267,000 likely child-directed apps across the Google Play Store and Apple App Store have no country of registration listed on the app’s app store page
London, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pixalate, the market-leading fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising, today released the Q2 2024 Google vs. Apple COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) Risk Scorecard Report to examine the state of children’s online privacy across apps available for download in the Google and Apple app stores.
Pixalate’s data science team analyzed over 4.2 million apps available for download and over 63 billion global open programmatic ad impressions on apps from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store from Q2 2024 to compile this research. Pixalate also analyzed the apps’ data permission and transmission practices to identify potential violations of the COPPA Rule.
Key Findings:
- 373k+ estimated likely child-directed, based on Pixalate’s methodology, mobile apps across Google Play and Apple App stores as of Q2 2024
- 9% of apps in the Google Play Store are likely child-directed vs. 8% in the Apple App Store
- 15.9k+ likely child-directed apps across the Google Play Store (227) and Apple App Store (15.7k+) have no detected privacy policy URL listed in the app store
- 192k+ likely child-directed apps across the Google Play and Apple App stores have no detected privacy policy URL but request access to personal information**
- 228k+ likely child-directed apps have no country of registration listed in the app store
- Likely child-directed apps are 50%
more likely to transmit both GPS and IP address data in the open programmatic ad bid stream vs. non-child-directed apps
** Geolocation info, persistent identifiers such as IP address or unique device identifier, and photo, video or audio files containing a child’s image or voice are all considered personal information under COPPA. See COPPA Rule at 16 C.F.R. § 312.2 for more. See the full list of permissions that request access to personal information here.
Pixalate uses automated processing derived from a combination of signals to determine if an app is likely to be child-directed, including the app’s category, sub-category, content rating, and contextual signals (specifically, child-related keywords in app’s title or the app’s description). Pixalate also leverages manual app review by educators on Pixalate’s Trust & Safety Advisory Board, who make assessments of apps based on the child-directed factors outlined in the COPPA Rule. See our full methodology for more information.
About Pixalate
Pixalate is the market-leading fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising. We work 24/7 to guard your reputation and grow your media value. Pixalate offers the only system of coordinated solutions across display, app, video, and CTV for better detection and elimination of ad fraud. Pixalate is an MRC-accredited service for the detection and filtration of sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) across desktop and mobile web, mobile in-app, and CTV advertising. www.pixalate.com
Disclaimer
The content of this press release, and the “Q2 2024 Children’s Online Privacy Risk Report: Age Screening & Parental Consent On Mobile Apps” (the “Report“), reflect Pixalate’s opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes can be useful to the digital media industry. Any data shared is grounded in Pixalate’s proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate’s opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees. Pixalate is sharing this data not to impugn the standing or reputation of any entity, person or app, but, instead, to report findings and trends pertaining to privacy and information security practices and compliance across mobile apps in the time period studied.
CONTACT: Nina Talcott ntalcott@pixalate.com
- Tunnel to Towers Foundation Applauds New Executive Order Supporting Homeless Veterans and Pledges Continued Partnership with President Trump - May 10, 2025
- Global Times: Xi’s reply letter to young volunteers in West China highlights their role in boosting education, fostering ethnic unity - May 10, 2025
- KFC Canada Suits Up for the Whiteout with Kyle ‘F’ Connor Bucket Takeover - May 10, 2025
