# "Money makes the world go around'': Identifying Barriers to Better Privacy in Children's Apps From Developers' Perspectives

**Authors:** Anirudh Ekambaranathan, Jun Zhao, Max Van Kleek  
**arXiv:** [2111.14596](https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.14596)  
**Date:** 2021-11-29  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/arxiv-id/2111.14596v1/

## Key points

- The children's app industry is thriving but at the cost of children's privacy
- Apps routinely disclose children's data to multiple data trackers and ad networks, which accumulates to long-term privacy risks as children spend increasing time online
- A mixed-methods approach was used against 5 leading data protection frameworks that set out requirements and recommendations for data collection in children's apps
- Developers largely respect children's best interests but have to make compromises due to limited monetisation options, perceived harmlessness of certain third-party libraries, and lack of availability of design guidelines
- Four major themes were identified: (i) developers' perceived responsibilities and motivations in designing for children's best interests; (ii) perceptions of data collection practices; (iii) reliance on third-party libraries; and (iv) the need to earn money
- The study calls for supporting documents to aid developers in navigating the opaque and complex development ecosystem, research into alternative and privacy-friendly monetisation methods, tools to support developers in auditing their apps, and tools to empower end-users in case developers do not keep up with age-appropriate practices
- Future work aims to extend this study to include iOS apps and developers as well
- The study provided valuable insights into a research direction about which little is known
- It highlighted the need for concrete yet neutral design guidelines, alternative yet privacy-friendly monetisation methods, tools for supporting developers when auditing their apps as well as tools empowering end users if developers fail to adhere with age appropriate practices.

## Summary

The children's app industry is thriving, but at the cost of children's privacy. These apps routinely disclose children's data to multiple data trackers and ad networks, which accumulates to long-term privacy risks as children spend increasing time online. To investigate why this is happening and how developers might change their practices, a mixed-methods approach was used against 5 leading data protection frameworks that set out requirements and recommendations for data collection in children's apps. The study involved 134 surveys and 20 semi-structured interviews with popular Android children's app developers. The analysis revealed that while developers largely respect children's best interests, they have to make compromises due to limited monetisation options, perceived harmlessness of certain third-party libraries, and lack of availability of design guidelines. The study identified four major themes: (i) developers' perceived responsibilities and motivations in designing for children's best interests; (ii) perceptions of data collection practices; (iii) reliance on third-party libraries; and (iv) the need to earn money. Developers often relied on Google's app publication requirements, which are not always directly aligned with principles set out by the AADC. The study calls for supporting documents to aid developers in navigating the opaque and complex development ecosystem, research into alternative and privacy-friendly monetisation methods, tools to support developers in auditing their apps, and tools to empower end-users in case developers do not keep up with age-appropriate practices. While the presence of trackers and third-party libraries in Android applications is well researched, the privacy landscape of iOS apps is less documented. Future work aims to extend this study to include iOS apps and developers as well. Additionally, the study focused on US and European regulations due to regulatory interventions taking place in Europe primarily ICO’s enforcement of the statutory AADC that will come into effect in 2021. The participants who responded may have represented those with better awareness of potential issues or took children’s best interests more seriously than the average developer. However, the study provided valuable insights into a research direction about which little is known. While the principles developers aimed to realize aligned with best practices, it is likely that some developers have malicious intents or are indifferent about children's privacy. In conclusion, the study provided a much-needed developer perspective regarding challenges and barriers to better privacy in children's apps. It highlighted the need for concrete yet neutral design guidelines, alternative yet privacy-friendly monetisation methods, tools for supporting developers when auditing their apps as well as tools empowering end users if developers fail to adhere with age appropriate practices.