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 game which is available from the 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.
In Dragon Story, users create their virtual dragon community by caring for dragons, building habitats, and hatching baby dragons. Numerous dragon species can be hatched, each requiring different habitats and care. As the dragons are fed and cared for they have the option of evolving to various life stages. Once the dragons reach maturity they can be bred with other dragon species to create new species. After the player reaches a certain level, they can also engage in arena battles with their dragons.
In addition to taking care of the dragons, users can also customize the city by building various structures including dragon habitats, shops, farms, and temples. Each of these different buildings has its benefit to the dragons that must be considered when choosing what to build.
The artistic style of the app is well suited for children, including the adorable and smiling dragons. The dragons float and dance around whimsically. The visual style of this app sets it apart from similar apps that feature more fierce dragons with more sophisticated visuals and animations.
The background music is fitting for a Renaissance-style quest. Sound effects accompany most actions within the game, including a variety of dragon sounds when interacting with the different dragons.
Coins and gold are the currency of the game and can be earned through a variety of interactions within the games. The simplest way to earn coins is by gaining dragons. Each dragon earns a specified amount of coins per hour, dependent on the species and age/evolution of the dragon. Quests are also assigned throughout the game and completing the different tasks earns coins, as well as stars to level up. Gold seems to be primarily gained through in-app purchases or connecting to social networks. Coins and gold can be used to purchase additional dragons, buildings, or other game items.
Small icons in the corner of the game and occasional pop-ups prompt users to download other apps by the developer. There is no external advertising within the app.
Dragon Story is rated 4+ in the Apple App Store and is no longer available to download in the Google Play Store. The reviews are a mix of parents, grandparents, and even teachers mentioning they are using the app with children. Many reviews from kids and others mention they played when they were children.
Privacy
The privacy policy for users in the United States, which was last updated on March 20, 2023, indicates that Storm8 collects and shares personal information with third parties. Some of the information that they collect includes identifiers and device information (including location information), usage information, contact information, and any information posted in forums or given in support tickets. They also state that they work with third parties to “collect information about your online activities over time and across different websites or online services” and use this information to provide targeted advertising.
The US privacy policy does not mention children at all. However, Storm8 does have a separate privacy policy that applies to EU residents, which does mention they will “not knowingly collect personal information from any child, or process such information, without parental consent.” However, there was no age information or parental consent collected in the app to determine the age of the users.
Find Pixalate's full catalogue of reviews in our CTV and Mobile App Review Page
Screenshots of Dragon Story
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.
