@article{krahl_playful_2026,
title = {Playful but {Persuasive}: {Deceptive} {Designs} and {Advertising} {Strategies} in {Popular} {Mobile} {Apps} for {Children}},
abstract = {Mobile gaming apps are woven into children's daily lives, including those of children too young to recognize commercial intent. When apps embed manipulative interfaces or heavy advertising, they place young users in environments that conflict with their right to play and to protection from exploitation, contributing to prolonged screen time, disrupted self-regulation, and accidental in-app purchases. We examined 20 popular, free-to-download children's mobile games in German-speaking regions using persona-based cognitive walkthroughs to assess the prevalence of deceptive design patterns and advertising. Despite platform policies and EU frameworks such as the General Data Protection Regulation and the Digital Services Act, every game contained deceptive design patterns that can nudge, confuse, or pressure children, with a median of 5.5 distinct patterns per app. Advertising was nearly ubiquitous (90\%), predominantly non-skippable, and deeply intertwined with deceptive patterns throughout gameplay. We discuss what these findings imply for HCI research on ethical game design, platform responsibility, and regulatory enforcement in the EU.},
journal = {Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (CHI PLAY)},
author = {Krahl, Hannah and Hartwig, Katrin and Fischer, Ann-Kathrin and Nikolakopoulou, Theodora and Pires Cabritas, Guy and Ungeheuer, Eva and Gerber, Nina and Stöver, Alina},
year = {2026},
keywords = {A-Paper, HCI, Projekt-ATHENE-AIDA, Ranking-ImpactFactor, Security, Student, UsableSec},
}

@inproceedings{krahl_playful_2025,
address = {arXiv},
title = {Playful but {Persuasive}: {Deceptive} {Designs} and {Advertising} {Strategies} in {Popular} {Mobile} {Apps} for {Children}},
shorttitle = {Playful but {Persuasive}},
url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17819},
doi = {10.48550/arXiv.2512.17819},
abstract = {Mobile gaming apps are woven into children's daily lives. Given their ongoing cognitive and emotional development, children are especially vulnerable and depend on designs that safeguard their well-being. When apps feature manipulative interfaces or heavy advertising, they may exert undue influence on young users, contributing to prolonged screen time, disrupted self-regulation, and accidental in-app purchases. In this study, we examined 20 popular, free-to-download children's apps in German-speaking regions to assess the prevalence of deceptive design patterns and advertising. Despite platform policies and EU frameworks like the General Data Protection Regulation and the Digital Services Act, every app contained interface manipulations intended to nudge, confuse, or pressure young users, averaging nearly six distinct deceptive patterns per app. Most also displayed high volumes of non-skippable ads, frequently embedded within core gameplay. These findings indicate a systemic failure of existing safeguards and call for stronger regulation, greater platform accountability, and child-centered design standards.},
publisher = {arXiv},
author = {Krahl, Hannah and Hartwig, Katrin and Fischer, Ann-Kathrin and Nikolakopoulou, Theodora and Cabritas, Guy Pires and Ungeheuer, Eva and Gerber, Nina and Stöver, Alina},
month = dec,
year = {2025},
note = {arXiv:2512.17819 [cs]},
keywords = {Crisis, HCI, Student, UsableSec},
}