Apple iPhone games for children rack up shocking bills

Tap Zoo and other iPhone games such as Smurf Village have sparked outrage among parents, who question Apple policies that allow games aimed at children to sell pricey add-ons without adequate sales safeguards.

The games are part of category of free applications on Apple's iTunes store that let companies charge users for products and services when the application is launched. Those purchases for Tap Zoo include $19 for a bucket of stars or $99 for a bucket of coins to buy animals to build a safari. Apple said it tries to prevent episodes of bill shock from happening by requesting a password when making "in app purchases." And parents can change settings on iPhones, iPads and iPods to restrict downloading and in-app purchases, Apple spokeswoman Truly Muller said. But parents say changing those settings isn't so easy. And, once a password is entered, it doesn't have to be reentered for 15 minutes, allowing users to make additional purchases.