App Store guideline 5.1.4: Kids
Apps that deal with personal data from children must follow children's privacy laws and meet extra conditions. Unofficial explanation, not affiliated with Apple. Apple's text prevails.
- Guideline
- 5.1.4 Kids
- Section
- 5. Legal
- This page
- Unofficial explanation, not affiliated with Apple. Apple's text prevails.
- Version
- Guidelines last updated October 16, 2026
- Official source
- Apple's App Review Guidelines
What it means
- (a) The text says it is critical to use care with children's personal data and encourages a careful read of laws such as COPPA, the GDPR and other applicable rules. Apps may ask for a birthdate and parental contact details only to comply with those laws, and have to offer some useful function or entertainment value whatever a person's age. Apps aimed mainly at kids should leave out third-party analytics and third-party advertising.
- (b) In limited cases, third-party analytics and advertising may be permitted if the services follow the same terms as guideline 1.3.
- Apps in the Kids Category, and apps that collect, transmit or could pass on a minor's personal information (examples listed include name, address, email, location, photos, videos, drawings, a chat feature, other personal data, or persistent identifiers combined with any of these), must have a privacy policy and comply with all applicable children's privacy laws. The parental gate for the Kids Category is generally something different from getting parental consent to collect personal data under those laws.
- Terms such as 'For Kids' and 'For Children' in app metadata are reserved for the Kids Category (guideline 2.3.8). An app outside the category cannot use any wording in its name, subtitle, icon, screenshots or description that implies children are its main audience.
Related guidelines
Apple's text
This page is an unofficial explanation in our own words. Unofficial explanation, not affiliated with Apple. Apple's text prevails. Apple's wording is on its page, linked below.
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