By Lynette Owens
The following is an excerpt from a guest post that originally appeared in Forbes on March 11.
This is a story about Apple and a group of angry parents whose kids did something they shouldn’t have.
It involves allegedly deceptive marketing practices, app-loving minors, parents who can afford to let their kids have or use Apple devices, and a class-action lawsuit against one of the most cash rich companies in the world.
But the story within this story is one that underscores the challenge we face in helping our kids be safe and responsible tech enthusiasts: Whose job is it?
The Root of the Problem
In April 2011, five parents took issue with Apple because they believed the company tricked their kids into racking up hundreds of dollars in credit-card charges playing supposedly free games. Once they were hooked, kids could easily continue the fun by buying items or more time with the tap of a screen.
Apple says that while games are often free to download, there will be options to use real money while playing it. There are two features in iOS to stop this: a restriction that turns off in-app purchasing and a password required for any charge on the iTunes account for that device. (The second of these features was added right around the time the lawsuit was filed.)
However, we may never see these arguments play out in court. In the end, Apple chose not to fight the battle and agreed to a $100 million settlement. Even to the technology novice, it is clear there’s plenty of blame to go around.
Read the full story on Forbes here.
Lynette Owens is Vice President of Global Consumer Education & Marketing at Trend Micro and Founder of the Internet Safety for Kids and Families program. With 25+ years in the tech industry, Lynette speaks and blogs regularly on how to help kids become great digital citizens. She works with communities and 1:1 school districts across the U.S. and around the world to support online safety, digital and media literacy and digital citizenship education. She is a board member of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, an advisory committee member of the Digital Wellness Lab, and serves on the advisory boards of INHOPE and U.S. Safer Internet Day.
Follow her on Twitter @lynettetowens.