Vine app gets 17+ age rating with latest update

Twitter-owned video sharing app Vine was updated early Wednesday, bringing in-app Twitter and Facebook sharing as well as an age rating for possible adult content.

Vine has been at the center of a small App Store controversy since the end of last month, when a hardcore pornographic clip was promoted as an "Editor's Pick" shortly after the app launched on Jan. 24. The title was subsequently stripped of an App Store Editors' Choice honor and pulled from the online market's Featured section.

The release notes for Vine version 1.0.5 makes no mention of the new 17+ rating:

Share to Twitter or Facebook after posting. Find the post you want to share, then tap the "..." button in the bottom right.
Report or block a profile. Go to the profile, then tap the newly added "..." button in the top right.
Fixed an issue that caused a black screen to appear and uploads to fail after creating a video on certain devices
Miscellaneous bug fixes

Apple's treatment of Vine brought into question the App Store's guidelines as popular photo sharing app 500px was yanked just days before Vine's offense over concerns of nude images and complaints of child pornography. Less than a week later, with Vine still available for download without a 17+ rating, 500px was allowed back on the store with an adult content pop-up warning and changes for reporting unsavory photos.

Amidst the confusion, App Store stalwart Tumblr quietly pushed out an update warning users that adult content can be accessed through the app. It is unknown whether Tumblr was asked to institute the rating by Apple, or did so in light of the somewhat negative media attention 500px and Vine generated with their respective issues.

6 Comments

gadgetcanada 423 comments · 12 Years

About 11 years ago

That is one tough age test. "Press ok". Don't know how underage kids will get by that.

blackbook 1360 comments · 13 Years

Quote:

Originally Posted by GadgetCanada

If parental controls are turned on then the user cannot even see 17+ apps if I remember correctly.

So this could really limit Vine's market and appeal sadly.

darkpaw 212 comments · 15 Years

@gadgetcanada It's not a test, it's a confirmation. By tapping OK, a kid under age 17 is accepting responsibility for anything that they access through that app. The responsibility is no longer Apple's.

lightknight 2311 comments · 14 Years

@darkpaw A kid under 15 is not legally bound by tapping OK. The responsibility stays Apple's, or possibly the parents for not supervising the operation of the device, depending on the country. Just so you know. Apart from that, I still find it absurd that you can't get porn, but you can get blood and gore. That civilization is broken.