Ads in kids' games: where they come from and how to keep them in check

How common they are

A University of Michigan study published in 2019 looked at 135 apps for children under 5. 95% contained at least one form of advertising.

Every free app had ads. But 88% of the paid ones had something too: prompts to unlock the full version, in-app purchases or requests to leave a rating. Apps labelled “educational” did no better than the rest.

Why it matters at this age

• Your child doesn’t recognise the ad. Psychology research shows that until around 7–8, children don’t understand that an ad is trying to persuade them. To them it’s just another cartoon.
• The ad takes them out of the game. One wrong tap sends them to Google Play, YouTube or the browser — exactly the places you wanted to keep them away from.
• Some ads are designed to trick. The same study found deceptive banners in 17% of apps: hidden close buttons or ads that look like part of the game.
• Rewarded ads change the game. “Watch an ad and get a life” teaches your child that watching ads is a normal part of play.

What Google Play’s rules say

For apps aimed at children, Google prohibits personalised ads and ads for alcohol, gambling or violent content. It also bans full-screen ads that can’t be closed after 5 seconds, ads that move when you try to close them, and ads shown the moment the app opens.

That is the rule. But many games children download don’t declare themselves as being “for children”, and there these protections don’t apply.

Six things that actually help

1. Check the “Contains ads” label

Google Play shows it on every app’s page, under the name. It is the quickest filter before you install.

2. Play the first ten minutes yourself

See how often ads appear, whether they close easily and whether the game asks you to watch them to progress.

3. Turn on airplane mode for games that work offline

Without internet, most ads stop loading. Some games refuse to start offline, which also tells you something about their business model.

4. Pay for the ad-free version if the game is worth it

It usually costs about as much as a coffee and removes the interruptions. Check the description, though: some paid versions keep in-app purchases.

5. Lock in-app purchases

In Google Play settings you can require a password or fingerprint for every purchase. That way, a wrong tap doesn’t turn into a payment.

6. Name the ad when it appears

“That’s an ad. It wants you to install another game.” Repeated often enough, your child starts recognising ads on their own.

Where Pauzi helps

During a session, Pauzi tries to close detectable exits to ads, Google Play or other screens opened from an allowed game, and brings your child back to the app you chose.

It is not a universal ad blocker: the ad inside the game stays. But your child no longer drifts from ad to ad into an app you never approved. If you’re wondering how that compares with what Google offers, we put the differences side by side in our Family Link and Pauzi comparison.

Ads are only part of what makes a game hard to put down. The other part is how screen time ends, which we wrote about in what to do when your child cries as you take the phone away.