Apple Pulls Shaken Baby iPhone App

April 23, 2009

Tech giant Apple is as family friendly as they come — from its in-store kiddie computer areas that occupy tots while parents are in line making purchases to numerous iPhone apps geared toward the younger set. So I was stunned (and sickened) to learn that though the company does not allow curse words to be used in its applications, an app that encouraged baby shaking was somehow approved. Until recently, users could purchase the game for 99 cents and shake their iPhones to stop babies from crying while a timer kept track of how fast they could accomplish the task. The application has since been pulled. What's your opinion on the issue?

13 Comments

3 years

I just shook my little brother now hes dead cause i was influenced by a 64kb game. ...kidding

4 years

There was an app for shaking babies?! Oh drat, my best friend and I would have gotten a kick out of that.

4 years

Well, although I know that this is a serious cause of death among children, I found the app to be amusing. Different people have different senses of humor, none of which should be censored. There are plenty of games where you have to shoot Clinton or the Pope, yet no one is "appalled" by that. No one seems to mind the potty humor of iPoop and iFart; both of which can also be seen as "appalling" and "disgusting". Apple received a large amount of complaints and dealt with the situation, that should be the end of it. What I find truly appalling is that one of the shaken baby foundations is using this media frenzy to make money.

4 years

My husband an I are appalled by the shaken baby Apple application. Our son was shaken at 2 1/2 months old and is severely disabled because of it. Every siezure or surgey he has to go through is because someone couldn't control their temper. Thank you to the gentleman who got the application discontinued.

4 years

so you have no tolerance for people that have different senses of humor? If you don't like it don't pay to download it! The market should dictate, if its so bad that there are not enough customers then there is no profit in it. You complainers are as bad as the lady who said the i phone is sexist because you can't use it with long fingernails.

4 years

I believe it was about 11,000 people that downloaded the app. You're right Anonymous. No one one will go around shaking babies because they think it's 'funny'. They'll do it because they were influenced by the game. If little kids grow up playing this game, then they will learn that shaking babies is the thing to do. Not because it's funny. because it's 'cool'.

sundrops 4 years

After all the work that has been done to let people know that shaking a baby even a little could kill them, that is just not okay. What if somebody as a joke did it to a real baby? Whoever approved sure got fired!!

4 years

It's just a joke! No one is going to go around shaking babies because they thought the app was funny. Get over it.

snowysakurasky 4 years

'disgusting' is what came to my mind too

annissa 4 years

That's disgusting. I'm glad they pulled it. I don't want to know what kind of person actually downloaded that app.

Liss 4 years

That is terrible. How did that get approved?

Anna Rowley 4 years

Why would Apple even approve that kind of App? It should have never been available to use. Disgusting.

gab6784 4 years

Ok that is just disgusting. I am glad that they pulled the app but you have to wonder how many people actually downloaded this thing. Its a small plus that this wasn't a more "graphic" app.

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13 Comments