Digital Smarts - Federal Trade Commission Called on to Look Into Children’s Apps
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MediaPost Communications reports that Senate Democrats are urging the Federal Trade Commission to scrutinize "manipulative marketing practices" in preschool children's apps. Advocacy groups have also made the same request following a report by University of Michigan Medical School that discovered that 95% of free Android apps designed for children under 6 featured ads. Some of the ads were camouflaged in items that appeared in the games, the study found. One game mentioned in the study, and referenced by the lawmakers, offers young players who watch a video ad the opportunity to buy “more effective medicines” to treat sick animals through the app.