The idea, one expert said, is to addict users, whether they are children or adults. “But it’s scary when it’s targeting children, the most vulnerable among us.”
Getty Images/iStockphotoIf you haven’t taken a ‘test drive’ with your children’s game apps, you probably should. Ashowed that four out of five game apps contain some form of software that tricks children into spending money or pressures them to continue play even when they’d prefer to be doing something else.
“Parents were often surprised, appalled and frustrated as they watched all the ads popping up,” Radesky said. “We wanted to demystify what was going on. It’s not the child’s fault. These apps are intentionally designed to keep the children clicking.” Nearly 50% of apps used features like tunneling, in which no option is provided for the child to stop and go somewhere else, pop-ups or auto-advancing features that keep kids’ eyeballs glued to the screen, the study found.
Another manipulative tactic is to use “loot boxes or other slot-machine like mechanics — which have been banned in some countries — to addict players by giving them the chance to obtain a rare, powerful item,” Lee said.It’s similar to teaching your child to watch for traffic while crossing streets, said Dr. Eyal Shamesh, a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry and chief of the division of behavioral and developmental pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.