Apple added a Kids section to its App Store, as it looks to better cater for younger consumers, following concern about the use of apps by children.

The new section within the App Store lists apps in different age groups: five and under, six to eight years, and nine to 11.

The introduction of the new category was initially announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June and coincides with the launch of the iOS 7 platform.

The addition of a specific Kids category means Apple is drawing more attention to the apps aimed at children in the App Store, and potentially inviting closer scrutiny.

In March, the company settled a lawsuit filed by a group of parents claiming that its App Store purchasing policies allowed children to spend large amounts of money too easily when unsupervised.

Kids apps have also caught the attention of the UK’s Office of Fair Trading which is due to publish a report in October, following an investigation into whether freemium apps are pressuring or encouraging children to pay for additional content.

Apple recently added new rules to its iOS developer guidelines in preparation for the introduction of the Kids category.

Apps aimed at children under the age of 13 must include a privacy policy and require parental permission for in-app purchases and external links. They must also avoid behavioural advertising in which ads are served based on user activity, while contextual ads must be appropriate for children.

Apps aimed at children under the age of 13 in the US are subject to the recently-introduced Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).