Welcome to Pixalate’s CTV & Mobile App Manual Reviews According to COPPA, a series containing the detailed factors the Trust & Safety Advisory Board educators used to assess an app’s child-directedness.
The educators manually review thousands of mobile apps available in the Google Play & Apple App Stores as well as connected TV (CTV) apps from the Roku Channel Store and Amazon Fire TV App Store using the COPPA Rule factors shown below & make those results available to the public at ratings.pixalate.com.
This post takes a look at a popular mobile app (1 million+ downloads) from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Our reviewer discusses how the subjective factors set forth in the COPPA Rule apply to the app and factor into the reviewer's determination as to whether the app is child-directed or general audience (i.e., it is not targeting children).
The teacher will indicate the factors they relied upon in their assessment using the 10 factors shown below that reflect the 10 child-directed factors in the COPPA Rule.
Alice in Puzzleland is a charming matching game that takes players on a journey through a wonderland overflowing with hidden candies and gems. There are numerous levels to explore through puzzle adventures that keep players engaged for hours. In the gameplay, you must match at least three or four candies or gems in a line to crush them and generate high-powered boosters. Incorporating the boosters and candies produces impressive effects that assist players with passing various levels. The visual content and animation in the game have vibrant, colorful graphics shown in a child-friendly format. It also has childlike characters and activities. The app is great for practicing visual memory and analytical thinking.
Players can acquire rewards and daily bonuses.
There are advertisements shown at every other level if the player wants to collect more coins, such as “Royal Match,” which is directed to a mixed audience. At the bottom banner of the app the ad, “Mist Play,” is situated during the entire gameplay directed to a general audience.
The app is rated E for Everyone in the Google Play store and rated 4+ in the iOS store. The app is ready to play immediately and there is no age gate. There is in-app purchasing within the game.
Privacy:
The developer’s privacy policy states, ”Our services are not directed to children under the age of 13 or under the age of 16 in European countries. we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you want to be a player or user for our services as children, please ask your parent or guardian for permission before using or playing on the service.”
Screenshots of Alice in Puzzleland
Pixalate’s Trust and Safety Advisory Board was created to bring in individuals with experience using child-directed apps in the classroom to review and assess which apps are child-directed. This manual review process serves to quality check Pixalate’s automated review process. See our full methodology for more information.
Disclaimer
This blog post published by Pixalate is available for informational purposes only and is not considered legal advice. By viewing this blog post, the reader understands and agrees that there is no attorney-client relationship between the reader and the blog publisher. The blog should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in the applicable jurisdiction(s), and readers are urged to consult their own legal counsel on any specific legal questions concerning any specific situation. The content of this blog post reflects Pixalate's opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes may be useful to the digital media industry. Pixalate's opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees; and this blog post is not intended to impugn the standing or reputation of any entity, person or app, but instead, to report findings pertaining to mobile and Connected TV (CTV) apps.
