Privacy and Platform Governance: The Case of Apps For Young Children

This article analyzes global platform governance regulating apps distributed to children. We focus on the determinants influencing app developers to opt in to Google’s “Designed for Families” program aimed at promoting children’s privacy. This program requires compliance with U.S. privacy regulations related to children. We empirically analyze the special subset of children’s apps. Our results indicate that a lower level of data collection is likely to increase the likelihood of a developer to opt in to the program. Apps inside the program tend to show better performance in terms of user engagement while having a greater propensity to adopt freemium business models. In terms of policy implications, consumer protections may be more effectively enhanced by influencing global digital platform governance toward children rather than altering the regulatory regime within a single country.