Apple Kids category and advertising: documented restrictions that bind UA creative

Buyers targeting family games—and producers deciding whether to list in the App Store Kids category—need the restrictions in App Store Review Guidelines §1.3 and §2.5.18, not a marketing summary. Guideline last-updated metadata on the page was not a discrete calendar stamp in the retrieved body; treat this as a current-requirement record. Announcement dates remain unknown.

Kids Category rules (Guideline 1.3)

Guideline 1.3 Kids Category states that Kids Category apps must not include links out of the app, purchasing opportunities or other distractions to kids unless reserved behind a parental gate. Once customers expect Kids Category behaviour, subsequent updates must continue to meet the guidelines even if the category is later deselected.

On data and ads:

• Kids Category apps may not send personally identifiable information or device information to third parties.
• Apps in the Kids Category should not include third-party analytics or third-party advertising.
• Limited exceptions: third-party analytics may be permitted if services do not collect or transmit IDFA or identifiable information about children, their location or devices.
• Third-party contextual advertising may be permitted in limited cases if services have publicly documented Kids Category practices/policies that include human review of ad creatives for age appropriateness.

Design safe and age-appropriate experiences restates Kids category expectations: age bands (5 and under, 6–8, 9–11), compliance with guidelines 1.3 and 5.1.4, parental gates for IAP and link-outs, and human review of advertising for age appropriateness. It also states Kids apps should not transmit PII or device information to third parties—even in adult sections—unless the parent explicitly consents.

Broader advertising rules that still affect kids traffic (Guideline 2.5.18)

Guideline 2.5.18 limits display advertising to the main app binary (not extensions, App Clips, widgets, etc.). Ads must be appropriate for the app’s age rating, allow users to see targeting information used for that ad without leaving the app, and may not engage in targeted or behavioural advertising based on… kids (e.g. from apps in the App Store’s Kids Category). Interstitials must be clearly labelled, must not trick taps, and must provide easily accessible close/skip controls. Apps with ads must let users report inappropriate or age-inappropriate ads.

Restriction table for UA creative

Who should act, and how

Family-game UA and product owners should:

1. Decide explicitly whether the app will remain in the Kids Category; if yes, redesign monetisation and analytics around 1.3.
2. Brief paid UA creatives and store screenshots against age-appropriateness and metadata rules—especially if the destination is Kids Category.
3. Separate “family-friendly game outside Kids Category” from true Kids Category compliance; the stricter 1.3 stack is opt-in via category selection but sticky once expected.
4. Ensure any contextual ad partner used under the exception publishes Kids practices including human creative review.

Limits of this record

Body-read of Apple’s Review Guidelines and Kids/age-appropriate experiences pages. Guideline 5.1.4 privacy detail is referenced by Apple but not fully excerpted here. No App Review ticket or Apple Ads account policy was inspected. Apple Ads serving limits to under-13 users appear in Apple safety materials outside these two URLs and were not used as primary evidence in this edition.

Research checked 19 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review and byline assignment pending.