Why is Apple letting its App Store run wild?

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently made headlines for personally calling Texas Governor Greg Abbott to urge a veto of a bill that would require age verification at the App Store level, part of Apple’s second-most profitable revenue stream. Cook's move is emblematic of a broader pattern: Big Tech leaders eager to profit from the distribution of addictive, predatory apps. 

The signing into law of the App Store Accountability Act in Texas — Cook’s appeal didn’t work — comes just under six months after research my colleagues at the Heat Initiative and I worked on was featured in the Wall Street Journal. After our report on the App Store came out, we made sure to track which of the apps’ age ratings changed. One that stood out was Draw Happy Police: Trivia Game, an app that featured reviews saying, “No 4-year-old should have to see or be exposed to a half naked woman or man,” but was rated 4+ as of December 3, 2024. After our report came out, the app was removed from the App Store entirely and reappeared in late January 2025 with a 17+ age rating. Draw Happy Police: Trivia Game also offers in-app purchases, making clear just how much developers and CEOs prioritize profit — they would recommend an inappropriate app to a 4-year-old and allow them to spend their parents' or guardians’ money on it. 

I was recently browsing Apple’s App Store when I came across the app Famefy. Famefy keeps young people glued to their artificial realities by creating an AI-simulated experience of fame, including (phony) fans and livestreams. The app creators boast, “Whether you’re simulating hype or living the life of a virtual celebrity, Famefy offers a realistic fan experience that makes you feel like a true star.” 

Simulated fame and livestreaming engender a certain craving for attention when participating in usually private moments, like applying make-up or picking out an outfit, teaching young people that intimate moments should be shared with anonymous viewers. As a young teenager, I came to crave the rush I would get when going live to my followers, and now with apps like Famefy, more than just young kids with followings are potentially getting hooked. Whether we see it in popular culture, like Cat’s storyline in season 1 of Euphoria, or in the news for something horrific, livestreaming for anyone under 18 years old only exalts voyeurism and the erasure of boundaries among children, a key ingredient to the profit models of many Big Tech companies. 

It is no accident that most teens use social media, and that the design features are created to exploit quick dopamine rushes. Creating the feeling of “addictedness” that most users feel when posting or scrolling their feeds only benefits Big Tech — 82 percent of Gen Z believes they are addicted to social media.   

Famefy also offers in-app purchases for the option to build your “perfect viewer.” When I read about in-app purchases, I immediately went to the age rating because, again, giving agency to young users to purchase anything, let alone the attention of a fake audience, is a predatory money grab of vulnerable users. The developers and Apple know this, which is why I assume they gave Famefy a 4+ age rating. 

The bill that Tim Cook was desperate to stop in Texas will legally require Apple to ensure accurate age ratings of individual apps. I would even advocate for one step further and ask for third-party, independent verification of the age ratings, like we have for video games, movies, and TV shows. With accountability like that, I would assume apps like Famefy will be forced to update their ratings.

Lennon Torres is a Public Voices Fellow on Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse with The OpEd Project. She is an LGBTQ+ advocate who grew up in the public eye, gaining national recognition as a young dancer on television shows. With a deep passion for storytelling, advocacy, and politics, Lennon now works to center the lived experience of herself and others as she crafts her professional career in online child safety at Heat Initiative. This column reflects the author's opinion.