User data collection in select mobile iOS apps for kids worldwide 2021, by type

As of March 2021, YouTube Kids and Facebook Messenger Kids were the mobile apps for children found to collect the largest amount of data from global iOS users. The apps collected a total of 15 data points from each of the examined data types,. Language learning app Lingokids and educational app ABCmouse followed with 10 data points. The type of data that the examined children's apps collected mostoften were contact information and diagnostics.

Children mobile privacy

From online education to gaming and social media, children and young users are increasingly active in online environments via mobile devices. In 2021, playing online games and watching YouTube videos figured among the most popular mobile activities for kids worldwide, while less than five in 10 reported using their phones to complete assignments for school. As vulnerable users, children are entitled to institutional protection and lower interference from tech companies. However, mobile apps designed for children still collect data from their young users. As of the beginning of 2022, money management and gaming apps were the app categories found to track the largest number of data segments from children, with 10.1 and 9.3 data points tracked, respectively.

Child proof social media?

While the impact of social media on younger users’ development is yet to be fully understood, parents and educators were quick to realize that social media expands the range of dangers children can encounter while being online. In 2021, children in the United States and in the United Kingdom spent an average of 98 minutes per day on TikTok, as well as 83 minutes daily on Snapchat. In the U.S., both Snapchat and TikTok agreed to respect the age limit restrictions set by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and while Snapchat discontinued its children-specific Snapkidz app in 2016, TikTok relies on its TikTok Younger Users platform for users younger than 13. Despite the majority of social media services requiring users to be at least 13 years old, a survey conducted in 2021 in the United Kingdom has found that 60 percent of all surveyed kids aged between eight and 11 had their own social media profile.