Amazon pulls highly criticized ‘Rescue The Anorexic Girl’ app
Amazon has pulled an app called ‘Rescue The Anorexic Girl’ that allowed players to throw food at a cartoon girl with the eating disorder in the style of a whack-a-mole game.
The controversial app, marketed by SmartTouch Media, was previously sold on Amazon and Android platforms with a promotional snippet reading: "It’s your time to become a real hero with this new amusing game Rescue The Anorexia Girl!"
Imogen Smith, a spokesperson for the charity Anorexia & Bulimia Care, told The Independent: “We are horrified to learn of Amazon’s app which actively encourages people to make fun of those struggling with life threatening eating disorders.”
A spokesperson for Amazon told The Independent that all apps in the Appstore must adhere to content guidelines and that the app is no longer available from its store.
According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.