Washington, D.C. (June 5, 2012) – Today, the Application Developers Alliance, the leading association representing app developers, released the following statement on the news that Facebook is developing technology that could enable children under 13 to access its site with parental supervision:
“We know that kids 13 and younger are online and that a lot of them are already using social media services through the web and through apps. Facebook’s move to allow younger children access to its services with parental guidance will empower parents to help kids learn how to make responsible decisions online, and we encourage others in the industry to do the same.
“Apps developers want to produce great educational and entertaining content for kids and are eager to put into place safeguards that ensure children have an age appropriate experience with the app. But they can’t do that if they don’t know the age of the children using their services.
“App developers are responsible, they care about children’s safety online, and they are eager to develop great products for kids. For that to happen, platforms should be open about the ages of the kids who are online and should provide the best possible technologies to ensure children receive age appropriate content. Policies and laws addressing children’s safety online should reflect that,” said Jon Potter, Apps Alliance President.
About Application Developers Alliance
The Application Developers Alliance is a new association dedicated to meeting the unique needs of application developers. Alliance members include more than 6,000 individual application developers and more than 60 companies, investors and stakeholders in the apps ecosystem. Visit us at appalliance.org.
