A few weeks ago I blogged about Fisher Price’s new iPhone case, a plastic case that protects the devices from the poking, prodding, and sticky fingers of young children. I commented on how we’ve figured out how to protect the device from sticky fingers, but questioned who’s protecting those sticky fingers from the device. Well, it seems like Apple has taken one step in the right direction.

Recent accounts of children unknowingly racking up thousands of dollars through in-app purchases of virtual goods in games such as Smurfs Village prompted Apple to change its policy for the way purchases are made within iPhone and iPad applications. In the old operating system, there was a 15-minute window after an application was downloaded that allowed purchases to be made without having to re-enter a password. In the updated operating system, a password must be entered again when making an in-app purchase. There has been a great deal of debate about whether this initiative is enough. My opinion? Not even close. But I think we are barking up the wrong tree.