Images of Hamas attacks can be seen in iPhone games: ‘Temporarily stop using Angry Birds’ | Tech

The complaints mainly concern the free games offered in the Apple Store, such as Angry Birds, Rummikub and Soccer Stars. Companies can purchase advertising space that will be shown in those games every few minutes. Apple normally has to give permission for this. Games that are free to download usually contain more ads than paid games.

The reporting center for online abuse of children and young people Help Wanted thinks it is not right for children to be shown these images without asking. “The consequences can be enormous: from nightmares, not being able to sleep to even stress and PTSD. It is very important that parents stay informed about what their children see online.”

Apple bears a ‘major responsibility’ because so many children and young people play games on the iPhone or iPad, says director Justine Pardoen of the Youth & Media Bureau. The American company must protect them against ‘violent images of attacks that are not intended for them’. “It appears that the advertisements were purchased by Israel or by a pro-Israel organization, because they show images of kidnapped children and the texts are clearly anti-Hamas. I can’t imagine Apple not being aware of this. Very bad, as far as I’m concerned.”

More and more parents are reporting similar complaints on social media. “Check our children’s gaming apps,” warns lawyer Job Knoester. While playing the game Soccer Stars his 7-year-old was shown images of the Hamas surprise attack and of attacks in the days that followed. These images show, among other things, explosions, armed soldiers and kidnapped children with texts such as: ‘I want my daughter back’.

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Angry Birds 2 also contains images in which it is written in chocolate letters that ‘Israel is under attack’, with threatening music in the background. “Hundreds of armed terrorists are infiltrating our streets,” one reads. ‘Thousands of missiles are being fired at us. They are killing our children.” Although, according to Pardoen, it is important that children are informed about the war, a screaming advertisement with revealing images is not the intention.

“The fact that parents know about this means that children are talking about it. Parents don’t watch what their child is doing on the phone all the time. That is not necessary. But when children start talking about this themselves, it does something to them.” Pardoen advises parents to only allow offline games on the iPhone. Games like Angry Birds usually require an online connection.

Numerous videos of the war are featured in advertisements not only in the Apple Store, but also on YouTube (Kids). These videos are seen by ‘a lot of people’, says Tim Verheyden, digital media expert VRT NWS. “I heard from people who were looking for instructions on how to put together a cupboard that they were shown propaganda videos. It is a very remarkable campaign.” Google has sometimes intervened in these types of images in the past, says Verheyden. “So the big question is what they will do with this message.”

Since the Hamas attack, the European Union has been concerned about the harmful consequences for children who see gruesome images on social media. Responsible European Commissioner Thierry Breton warns social media companies that they must guard against illegal material and disinformation. Platforms such as YouTube and Facebook must clearly distinguish news from war propaganda. If companies do not comply with European rules, they can expect fines.

TikTok says it has already taken action to combat fake news and hate speech surrounding the conflict in Israel. This would include improving automatic signaling systems to remove fake news and hate speech. There are also more so-called moderators who speak Arabic and Hebrew to be able to assess messages.

Apple could not be reached Monday morning for a response to the ads. So far, no complaints have been received about Android’s Play Store.