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 & 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.
Mahjong Treasure Quest: Tile gameplay starts with a young girl and her cat embarking on a journey through magical lands, solving puzzles, and unlocking games along the way to help renovate and reconstruct her parent's mansion. Players will pair tiles with their identical counterparts to remove every tile from the board. The game will allow players to select one of three treasure chests, each containing a specific treasure, once the tiles are cleared. It is similar to playing the game memory. To keep things interesting, the game also has daily challenges and leaderboards. The animation and visual content have a whimsical, cute, vibrant graphic style. The game’s music and sound effects are lighthearted and reminiscent of jingle music that adds to the player experience. The game uses characters and child-oriented activities that target a mixed audience. It is an engaging adventure full of puzzles and challenges.
A range of power-ups are included to help players complete levels quicker or earn more coins from their matches. At certain levels, players receive gifts and collectibles but you must clear them before you can get the gift.
Advertisements directed to a mixed audience such as Candy Crush Soda Saga play to earn more power-ups and boosters.
There is no age gate. The app does have in-app purchasing in order to enhance gaming experience. Players can also connect to social media accounts such as Facebook. It is rated E for Everyone in the Google Play store and 4+ in the iOS store.
Privacy:
The developer’s privacy policy states, “Our services are not directed to those under the age of majority, however, we are committed to protecting the privacy and safety of all our players, including children… we do not intentionally and knowingly collect personal data from children…we may collect personal data when you use the services. ”
Find Pixalate's full catalogue of reviews in our CTV and Mobile App Review Page
Screenshots of Mahjong Treasure Quest: Tile
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.
