iOS 7 to add kids games category to App Store

Apple's next major update to its iOS mobile operating system, iOS 7, will add a kids games category to the iTunes App Store, the company announced during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote last week.

According to the iOS 7 features page on Apple's website, the new category will offer "a curated selection of age-appropriate apps." Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of internet software and services, said during the WWDC press briefing that iOS 7 users will be able to sort apps by age range, reports The Guardian. All iOS apps are currently given one of four age ratings (4+, 9+, 12+ or 17+), but according to images Cue showed during the event, the kids category will get more specific with ranges such as ages 6-8.

There's no word yet on whether Apple will implement new guidelines about in-app purchases for apps in the kids category, or provide parents with more information about the practice. Earlier this year, Apple settled a class-action lawsuit in which the participants said their children downloaded so-called bait apps and spent money on in-app purchases without the parents' knowledge or permission.

Apple plans to launch iOS 7 this fall.