Study Finds Over Half of Popular Android Children Apps May Violate COPPA by Tracking Users

Google is closely examining children’s apps on the Play Store after a new study claimed that more than half of the most popular apps are illegally tracking their young users.

The research, conducted by scholars at the International Computer Science Institute, analyzed 5,855 of the most popular free Android children’s apps and found that 57% "may violate" the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The primary reason cited was the use of third‑party software development kits (SDKs) that collect personal data.

A Google spokesperson told PCMag that the company "takes the researchers’ report very seriously and is investigating their findings."

Google’s statement added that protecting children and families is a top priority and that its "Designed for Families" program requires developers to comply with specific Google Play policy requirements. If an app is found to breach these policies, Google will take action and appreciates the research community’s contributions to Android ecosystem safety.

COPPA applies to children under 13 and mandates parental or guardian consent before collecting personal information. Even with consent, additional safeguards must be in place regarding how the data is used.

The researchers noted that many SDKs actually provide COPPA‑friendly configuration options to disable tracking and behavioral advertising, but most apps either do not use these options or configure them incorrectly.

Furthermore, the report highlighted that 19% of the children’s apps collect identifiers and other personally identifiable information through SDKs, despite their terms of service explicitly prohibiting such collection for child‑directed apps. The researchers also observed that Google’s current restrictions on app tracking appear to have limited effectiveness.