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 Amazon Fire TV 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.
Find Hidden Object is exactly what it sounds like, a game where the player must find hidden objects within a picture. Just like the printed version of this game, numerous different items are hidden amongst a highly cluttered picture. Players can play each level numerous times, although the placement of the hidden objects does not change (making it very simple to complete the levels). Most objects can be easily found, but hints can also be used if a player gets stuck. Five hints are given and this number seems to carry over for the entire game. If you use a hint on the first level, you will only have four left for the remaining photos in the game.
In addition to the hidden objects, the player must also find two hidden coins in each level to unlock the next level. If the coins are not both discovered before the player sees the last hidden object, the level will need to be repeated.
The pictures have a lot going on but are all very child-friendly. Scenes such as whimsical carnivals and beach trips are featured with plenty of child-directed objects such as toys and snacks to be found. With that being said, the visual content is not too overly childish and would still appeal to adults as well.
The visuals also play a role in the difficulty of the game. The hidden objects are not very hidden but almost feel like random things that were already in the picture. For example, in the jungle scene, the user is searching for specific jungle animals, like snakes and monkeys, which are prominently displayed within the picture. This makes it a bit easier and great for kids, as the objects are not hidden away. However, it also makes things a little more difficult as you have to look back and forth for the items you are meant to be finding, rather than looking for something out of place like in many hidden object games. Adults might find this a bit annoying.
Different sounds are played to announce when a player has correctly clicked on a hidden object or incorrectly clicked something else. Music is also played in the background. The repetitive nature of the music is more appealing to children than adults.
A star rating is awarded at the end of each level based on how much time is left on the timer after the player finds all the objects. Each level starts with six minutes on the timer. The time needed to earn each star is shown before starting the level and is generally the same for each picture. If the player finds all of the objects before it ticks down to 4:30 they get all five stars but if there is under 1 minute left they only receive one star.
Additionally, it is incentivized to only click on the hidden objects and not click at random. Only six wrong clicks are allowed before the level is failed.
Consistent advertisements are shown for the paid subscription to the app, which eliminates ads and unlocks all levels. However, other than this internal ad there did not seem to be any external advertising within the app.
The description mentions that the app is an “incredible seek and find adventure that's good for both adults and children.” This statement is not only listed under the app description but is also highlighted in the product features.
There is only one written review of the app, so the audience composition cannot be determined.
Privacy
According to the privacy policy, which does not have a publication date, “these services do not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13.” However, there is not an age gate in place to ascertain the age of the users. They state that they “may require you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information, including but not limited to sensitive data, analytics, advertising IDs, and device information.” They indicate that they do share this information with third parties. They also indicate that while they do not use cookies, they do use “third-party code and libraries” that may collect cookies.
Find Pixalate's full catalogue of reviews in our CTV and Mobile App Review Page
Screenshots of Find Hidden Object - Free Hidden Game 2022
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.
