Apple and Google removed three dating apps from their stores after the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said they allowed children as young as 12 to access them.

In a statement, the FTC explained Meet24, FastMeet and Meet4U, developed by Ukraine-based company Wildec, violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and potentially also the FTC Act.

They have been removed from app stores until the allegations against them are addressed.

The apps failed to block users who indicated they were under 13 and collected their birthdates, email addresses, photographs, and real-time location data.

In a letter to Wildec, the FTC said allowing adult users to communicate with children poses a serious health and safety risk.

It urged the company “to remove personal information from children on the three apps, to seek parental consent before allowing minors to access the apps, and to ensure that all versions of the apps comply with COPPA as well as the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair practices that are likely to cause substantial consumer injury.”

Earlier this year, the FTC hit short-form video app TikTok with a $5.7 million fine for illegally collecting personal information from children.