Washington ( CNN ) -- Parents are finding it more difficult to keep their children 's private personal data from being collected by mobile phone apps , according to a new report . The Federal Trade Commission is urging mobile phone app developers and phone companies to make it easier for parents to control the personal information being collected by smartphone apps . It 's the second time this year the agency has looked at the issue . Since the first report in February , the FTC said it found that almost nothing has been done by developers or phone companies to improve transparency . Only 16 % of apps provided parents with a link to a privacy policy or other disclosure before an app is downloaded , the first survey found . In the follow-up , researchers found similar results , with 20 percent of the apps linking to general disclosure information or a privacy policy , the report said . `` Even more troubling , the results showed that many of the apps shared certain information with third parties -- such as device ID , geolocation , or phone number -- without disclosing that fact to parents , '' the FTC said . By using the information collected through mobile devices , companies could potentially develop detailed profiles about children without a parent 's knowledge or consent , the FTC said . `` Our study shows that kids ' apps siphon an alarming amount of information from mobile devices without disclosing this fact to parents , '' said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz in a statement released with Monday 's report . Through apps , kids can make purchases right from the device . The FTC said parents have reported their children racking up hundreds of dollars in charges they were n't aware of until the bill arrived . `` Parents should be given the information they need to make informed decisions about whether to allow their children to use apps with these capabilities , '' the FTC report said . A recent phenomenon of the digital age , apps -- or applications -- are programs that mobile phones users can purchase and install on their devices . Apps can include everything from games to medical monitoring software . The market for mobile apps continues to grow at an explosive rate . As of September , there were more than 700,000 apps available in Apple 's App Store , a 40 percent increase since December 2011 , and more than 700,000 apps available in Google Play , an 80 percent increase since the beginning of 2012 , the FTC said . An investigation is planned to determine whether some mobile app developers are violating the Children 's Online Privacy Protection Act or are engaging in unfair or deceptive business practices , the FTC said . The agency urged developers and marketers to work together and develop accurate privacy disclosures regarding what data is collected through apps used by kids .
Smartphone apps can expose children 's data , Federal Trade Commission says . Panel urges developers , phone companies to make monitoring easier for parents . Comment: