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. 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.
Baby Bella Caring is an engaging game tailored to taking care of a virtual baby. In the gameplay, players are taken on an interactive journey to parenthood through the regime of child care. The game has four stages to care for baby Bella such as changing diapers, baths, feeding, and bedtime. Players can use their imagination by creating cute fashion looks with accessories and hairstyles for baby Bella. The subject matter, of this app, says, “learn how to take care of a baby girl,” which shows that the language and other characteristics are directed to children with a mixed audience. The visual content and animation have colorful, satisfying graphics design with characteristics of child-oriented activities. The app has peaceful ambient background sounds and scenes that encourage a relaxed experience. This hands-on adorable game is a great way to cultivate a sense of responsibility.
There are challenges and mini-games in the game to earn money to take care of baby Bella.
The advertisements are in a top banner of the app, such as, “Bear Lake Reserve,” which is directed to a general audience.
There is no age gate. The app is rated E for Everyone in the Google Play store. A review posted in August of 2021 on the Google Play store says, “Good for my 4-year-old keeps her busy while learning how to take care of one another.” In October of 2023, a review posted said, “My little sister is 5yrs old she likes playing the game she enjoys.”
Privacy:
The developer’s privacy policy states, “Our information collection, disclosure, and parental consent practices concerning information provided by children under the age of 13.” This policy has an associated link to the children’s privacy policy which was updated on 3/11/2022.
Find Pixalate's full catalogue of reviews in our CTV and Mobile App Review Page
Screenshots of Baby Bella Caring
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.
