In line with our duties under section 161 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act), Ofcom has carried out an assessment of the role that app stores play in children’s online experiences. App stores are not currently regulated services under the Act.
Our report includes assessing the current use and effectiveness of age assurance by app store providers. We also look at whether children’s online safety would be better protected by the greater use of age assurance, or particular kinds of age assurance by app store providers, or by other measures.
App stores play an important role in shaping children’s online experiences
We found that app stores act as a gateway for children to discover, access and download apps, while also setting rules for app developers and determining how apps are presented to users.
App stores are part of a larger online ecosystem that also includes devices, operating systems and regulated services. While app stores can influence how children discover and access online services, regulated services remain responsible for meeting their duties under the Act, including using highly effective age assurance where required and implementing measures to protect children from harm online.
Our analysis shows that app stores could do more to protect children online making greater use of highly effective age assurance. The app stores we looked at did not consistently use age assurance to correctly establish whether a user was a child, providing little incentive for children to self-declare an accurate age.
However, age assurance alone would not result in better protections for children online. App stores would also need reliable information about apps, including their age suitability and the risks they may present to children; and the application of well-designed app store protections.
Parental tools and controls could also play a complementary role in supporting children's online experiences.
Next steps for app stores
The approaches explored in this report raise important technical, policy and compliance considerations about any potential future regulatory model involving app stores. If the government decides to regulate app stores, it will need to consider a number of relevant factors, including which app store providers would be in scope, the regulatory and technical design of any regime, and its interaction with the existing regulatory framework.
Alongside this report, we have published our rapid assessment of highly effective age assurance at 16 to inform parliamentary debate on the draft social media ban regulations. That assessment notes that app stores, alongside other parts of the online ecosystem, could play a role in supporting the implementation of age-based restrictions.