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.
Bus Rush is an action-packed running game where players make their way through the city’s topsy-turvy streets while avoiding angry gorillas, and obstacles and collecting coins. In the gameplay, players are jumping over trucks, running through tunnels, and going in between buses to avoid being caught by an irate gorilla. The objective is to accumulate as many coins while steering clear of collisions with road barriers and automobiles. Playing can be challenging and stimulating and keeps you focused. The visual content is vibrant with high-quality animation and the graphic design has colorful 3D characters with some cartoon violence. It uses child-oriented animation that appeals to kids. The music and sound effects are engaging because it magnifies the fast-moving essence of the game.
The advertisements are shown before the game starts such as, “TikTok.” Also, the game has banner ads throughout if no in-app purchasing, for example, “TEMU,” is shown. If the angry gorilla catches the player, they can watch an advertisement to continue playing the game. These ads are directed to a general audience.
Players can earn rewards with daily gifts that will enhance the character's appearance and capabilities. Players also earn power-ups as they play to get more coins and points.
There is no age gate. The app does have in-app purchasing and in-game currency. It is rated T for Teens in the Google Play store. A review posted in October of 2018 in the Google Play store says, “I enjoyed it very much, suitable for all ages, unfortunately, my kid is better than me lol, good old family fun for the new age.” Another review in the Google Play store in October of 2022 says, “I used to love this game as a child.” In May 2020 a review in the Google Play store said, “ I play most of the time…I am 8+ years old.” The first two reviews have no age specification.
Privacy:
The developer’s privacy policy does not have a COPPA policy. However, it does state, “We may collect and record general information…only in accordance and with GDPR we will collect…your IP, country, and advertising ID…social information with prior authorization.”
Find Pixalate's full catalogue of reviews in our CTV and Mobile App Review Page
Screenshots of Bus Rush
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.
